=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3645/tools1
|storemode=property
|title=The Simplified Platform, Status 2023
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3645/tools1.pdf
|volume=Vol-3645
|authors=Mark Mulder,Rick Mulder
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ifip8-1/MulderM23
}}
==The Simplified Platform, Status 2023==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3645/tools1.pdf
The Simplified Platform, Status 2023
Mark A. T. Mulder1 , Rick Mulder
1
TEEC2, Hoevelaken, the Netherlands
Abstract
Simplified is the web based approach to modelling and meta-modelling. This platform started from
the experience with a previous research tool for modelling Design and Engineering Methodology for
Organisations (DEMO) and has increased the available notations to OntoUML and ArchiMate. The
extension ability of the cloud based platform makes it suitable for research and business applications. The
configurable notations, flexible user interface, and real-time transformation, verification and visualisations
makes the platform adaptable and understandable for every stakeholder. This update paper will list the
current state of the simplified platform.
Keywords
Modelling, Meta-modelling, Collaboration, Enterprise Engineering
1. Introduction
The history of the Simplified modelling platform started with the research project towards the
PhD ‘Enabling the automatic verification and exchange DEMO models’ [1]. The DEMO [2, 3]
method is a core method (based on a theoretically founded methodology) within the discipline
of Enterprise Engineering (EE) [4]. We have described the history in detail in our previous
paper [5].
The lack of good tooling for demo modelling prompted us to start the development of a new
tool. Via the plugin on Sparx Enterprise Architect we started development on a cloud based
modelling platform which supports collaborative design, multiple notations, API and white
label UI integration that would allow customers to apply their own corporate design language
to the UI, and multiple languages all while applying state of the art development methods.
This paper describes the used architecture, the implemented interfaces and the current status
of the platform. After that a series of features are introduced and respective benefits for research,
business users of organisations, and modellers in general are introduced. We also provide some
evaluation procedures used to get feedback on the platform usage. Finally, we conclude with a
short summary and the current state of affairs of this platform.
Companion Proceedings of the 16th IFIP WG 8.1 Working Conference on the Practice of Enterprise Modeling and the 13th
Enterprise Design and Engineering Working Conference, November 28 – December 1, 2023, Vienna, Austria
$ markmulder@teec2.nl (M. A. T. Mulder)
0000-0002-1846-0238 (M. A. T. Mulder); 0000-0002-9500-0702 (R. Mulder)
© 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
2. Architecture
The platform consists of total of six layers, divided in two servers: application server (involving
the layers interface, message, process, cache, and persistence), and database server (database
layer). The server architecture is visualised in fig. 1. The layers are visualised in fig. 2
The interface layer consists of two interfaces for accessing the platform. The REST/JSON API
is the simplest interface, allowing the retrieval of the generic public information that requires
no authentication. No modelling information can be exchanged using this API. This information
includes the installed public notations (e.g. ArchiMate, DEMO, BPMN) and the creation of free
accounts. The other interface, that facilitates the access to the platform is an authenticated
asynchronous web socket messaging interface that can not only receive and handle messages,
but also can broadcast to all relevant connected users. This interface can be used by authorised
developers to build their own user interactions. These interactions can involve generation,
layouts or manipulation of models and model elements.
Production stack
User Interface Webserver
Notation Functions Application Server User Interface Dev
Migration Services Database Server Method/ Notation
Figure 1: Architecture of Simplified
Messaging to the asynchronous interface is done in JSON format with a dynamic payload
structure, allowing for per message configuration, and developing structures during the lifetime
of the platform. Other clients can use this structure to interface with the back-end engine for
notation specific operations. Every client, that is also a server, can request the platform to
forward special operations upon user request. This information is then processed and returned
to the client UI for the visualisation.
The modelling part of the back-end is designed to store the model and the metamodel of a
notation or methodology. The architecture uses dynamic metamodels that restrict the models
on run-time. The notation architecture structure is visualised in fig. 3.
The platform is now available on https://simplified.engineering/ and the beta-test of new
features is running on https://acc.simplified.engineering.
API Web socket
message
process
cache
persistence
databases stub
Figure 2: Architecture Layers
Simplified perspective User perspective
meta4model Notation grammar
compiler verification
meta3model Notation script
compiler creating
visualisation Notation
meta2model Notation
meta2model visualisation
interpreter referencing referencing
visualisation Model
metamodel Model
metamodel visualisation
Figure 3: Notations from different perspectives
3. Features and benefits
We observe that some of the features mentioned below should not be regarded anymore as
distinctive tool features in the current state-of-the-art because many tools on the web have this
same set of features [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].
Next to the baseline features mentioned in the previous paper [5], we have added the following
features:
• Collaboration between users of different companies
• Connecting Connections to Connections
• Connections have anchor points to shape the route they take
• Connection quick menu
• Hiding connections
• Improved the ease of creating notation scripts
• Ability to model Elements onto other Elements (e.g. Attribute on an Entity) with its own
unique visual
• Adding custom properties to Model Elements and Connections
• Switch notation visuals based on properties
• Align and Rotate functions
• Verification of model based on the notation script
• Server Extensions that can hook into the UI.
• Anchors inside visuals to control certain parts of a visual
• Settings to customise the look of your modeller, such as toolbox icon sizes, grids, snapping
and more
We will go over some of these new features in more depth in the next paragraphs
All users working on the same models, and, therefore, automatically collaborate. Next to
the elements there is a quick menu which shows connections defined in the notation that are
available from this element. With Simplified one can support one’s own modelling methodology
and associated notation. Elements can be added in the script with the phrase “element <
𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 > (< 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 >< 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒 >,...)” and connections like “connection < 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 > (<
𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 >< 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒 >,...) from < 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑁 𝑎𝑚𝑒 > (< 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 >< 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒 >,...) to
< 𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑁 𝑎𝑚𝑒 > (< 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 >< 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒 >,...)”[13]. Furthermore, predefined notation
scripts for DEMO, OntoUML, BMPN, ArchiMate, and VISI are uploaded on the platform. Other
notations such as PetriNet, ER, UML, etc. can be added on request.
Notation visuals can have defined anchors to move around shapes inside the visual. Quick
settings located in the area that concerns them for quickly toggling or changing specific things.
This interface allows for cross-programming-language development and we have used it to
let remote servers subscribe to our server to link to actions in the user interface. For example,
model verification logic can be imported and run against the model to check for its compliance
with the underlying notation.
We have four standard and one custom licence types to be available to the users of Sim-
plified. Standard licence offering will include the Basic, Standard, Pro, Enterprise, and Re-
search&Education versions 1 . It is worth noting that Basic licence type will provide a free, thus
low barrier entry point to the modelling environment with basic functionality to the user. We
categorise Basic and Standard for personal, and the others for professional use.
4. User interface
Simplified is a server based solution which supports models and visualisations of those models
[1]. Therefore, new technologies that want to connect to those visualisations can do so by
using the messaging system. In the end, the visualisation can be summarised by a view with
visual elements having a x,y,z coordinate and a size. Those properties are supported and can be
extended within the platform.
Simplified Web UI is built of (web) pages in a modular fashion. Every set of features has its
own page. Each page is built with modular function blocks which share a state with the other
modular function blocks. Each modular block has its functions and a visual representation.
Next, the modeller page consists of the visualisations of a modular function block that have a
docking possibility within the page. In addition to sharing a ‘session’ state between some pages,
1
https://teec2.nl/products/modelling-platform/
pages have their own states as well. As explained in the next sections, examples of modular
blocks are Toolbox, Browser and Properties. The page layout is saved as a session variable,
which allows each user to have its own unique layout. Due to the modular nature, it is also
possible to have stakeholder layout presets. Other pages that do not have the docking layout,
still use the modular setup, which makes it possible to customise each page to specific needs of
the stakeholder.
The browsers will all have the up-to-date data displayed in their own way as shown in fig. 4.
Figure 5: The diagram view
Figure 4: The repository browser
The diagram is arguably the most important part of the modeller. A diagram can be opened
from the browser and represents a graphical view or visualisation of a part of the model
following the defined viewpoint of the used notation as presented in fig. 5. This allows for
smooth collaboration and modelling together.
The toolbox contains the notations that are available to the user as visualised in fig. 6. These
notations have categories, of which two are standard, namely connections and elements. The
toolbox can be refreshed, which comes in handy in case of an updated notation or a new notation
that is not yet shown in the toolbox.
The property module displays the properties of the selected element as visualised in fig. 7.
5. Evaluation
Currently we are developing and beta-testing the DEMO and OntoUML notation and adjusting
the user experience of these notations in the Simplified environment. The evaluation is done
with students from different universities in their bachelor or master studies. Feedback from
users is processed through a ticket system. All reports will be collected and categorised to bugs,
improvements and feature requests. The bugs and improvements will be taken care of right
away, and will be pushed onto an internal test server. Once these are tested and found to solve
Figure 6: Toolbox with several notations and their categories
Figure 7: The Element and Visual Element properties
the issue they are meant to fix, they are pushed to the beta-test server and users can work with
it. The feature requests will be added to the next iteration of the platform.
6. Conclusion
The platform, Simplified, takes away the limitations that we experienced during the development
of Plena. It supports the collaborative design and multiple notations expressed in multiple
languages.
Besides, up till now no restrictions have been seen that would impede the addition of more
notations to the platform. The extension of features can be done in a modular fashion, allowing
for future feature development without disruption.
Additional research is needed to extend the features of modelling and a broader investigation
of the limitations and gaps of other modelling tools is yet to be conducted. We have a road map
of features that include, but are not limited to the following features:
• The referencing of models from a template, inheritance (advising or forcing) references.
• The support of visualisation concepts like swim lanes on diagrams, matrices, cubes, and
automated layout features.
• User support on choosing the next step of the methodology.
• Advanced ruling that can efficiently verify models.
• Automated transformation between notations, and generation within notations and to
other systems.
Finally, a lot of features that come with specific modelling methodologies will be added.
References
[1] M. A. T. Mulder, Enabling the automatic verification and exchange demo models, 2022.
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essence of organisation, 2020.
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