Manage database properties

If you have the ARIS Enterprise Administration license privilege and the Database administrator function privilege, you can manage all databases available on a tenant. If you select a database and click Properties Properties, you can manage the following:

Languages

For each database, you can manage the languages in which users can enter text, such as the names of models and objects, or other language-dependent attribute values. A set of database languages is provided automatically when a new database is created.

The selected language in which the user interface is displayed is automatically used as the database language. Users can change the language used or edit attribute values in multiple languages at the same time.

You can do the following:

Add language Add language

Add a language in which users specify text attributes, such as the names and descriptions of database items.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Database languages Languages.

  3. Click Add language Add language.

  4. Select the required language from the listed system languages that are available on your machine.

  5. Enable the Default language check box if you want to use this language as the default language. The default language of a database is used to display text that was not entered in the current language.

  6. Select the font that you want to use for this language. Do not select fonts written in red. These fonts cannot display letters in the selected language.

  7. Select the related script. The script defines the font family for which the font is used, for example, Western or Japanese.

  8. Select the color, style, and the font size as required.

  9. Click Add language.

The language is available to all users of the database.

Edit font Edit font used for a language

The text font is selected when adding a language to a database. You can change this font.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Database languages Languages.

  3. Selected items Select the language and click Edit font Edit font.

  4. Select the font that you want to use for this language. Do not select fonts written in red. These fonts cannot display letters in the selected language.

  5. Select the related script. The script defines the font family for which the font is used, for example, Western or Japanese.

  6. Select the color, style, and the font size as required.

  7. Click Change font.

Text in this language uses the selected font.

Set as default Use as default language

To ensure that users can read text regardless of the selected language, you can choose a default database language. The default language of a database is used to display text that was not entered in the current language. For example, names that are not entered in the current language are otherwise displayed as <Untitled>, which makes work more difficult. If users enter all language-dependent text attributes in the default language, the displayed written text is legibly, though not uniformly in one language.

To change the default language, proceed as follows.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Database languages Languages.

  3. Selected items Select the language in which all attribute values are specified and click Set as default Use as default.

The selected language is used as an alternative database language. Note that you must enter all language-dependent attribute values in the selected language to prevent items from being displayed as <Untitled>.

Delete Delete a database language

Delete database languages that are no longer required.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Database languages Languages.

  3. Selected items Select the languages you want to delete. You cannot delete the default language.

    Warning

    If you delete a language, all attributes specified in the deleted language are also deleted from the database. To prevent data loss, back up the database before you delete languages.

  4. Click Delete.

The selected languages are no longer available. All attributes specified in the deleted languages are deleted.

Font formats

A font format is a kind of template to represent a font. This set of global parameters defines the appearance of text characters in a specific style and size for a particular language.

Font formats that you create for databases define the representation of database content in models. These font formats are available only in the database for which they are created. This enables you to individually design models and deviate from the conventions defined for your company. Font formats are closely related to templates. To ensure that the models comply with the conventions of the corporate branding, assign the correct template. When users assign a template to a model, the font formats used in the template are automatically created in the font format management of the related database. Only font formats used in attributes and related objects that occur in models are added. Not adding unused fonts ensures that the size of the database volume is manageable.

If no template was assigned, the default font format of the database is used.

You can do the following:

Add font format Create font format.

Add font formats that you use to format individual models. You can also set a font format as the default font format for the database.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Font format Font formats.

  3. Click Add font format Create font format.

    All attributes are displayed in the language with which you logged in.

  4. Select the configuration language in which you want to enter the name. The font format is automatically applied to the selected language.

    Use configuration languages to specify the names and descriptions of all items that are managed in the Configuration section for this tenant, such as method items, filters, templates, font formats, content type sets, and evaluation scripts.

    The Configuration administrators create the set of configuration languages that are available on a tenant.

    Warning

    You must enter a name in each related language. If you do not enter the name for a specific language, the font format is displayed as (Untitled) and anyone who uses the language will not be able to find the font format.

  5. Select the font that you want to use for this font format in the selected language. Do not select fonts written in red. These fonts cannot display letters in the selected language.

  6. Select the related script. The script defines the font family for which the font is used, for example, Western or Japanese.

  7. Select the color, style, and the font size as required.

  8. Select Use as default if you want to use the font format as default for this database.

  9. Click Apply.

The font format is added.

Users can use the font format for individual models or you can assign it to the database as the default font format.

Copy Copy

For each database, you can copy and modify font formats that you can use when no templates are assigned to models.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Font format Font formats.

  3. Selected items Select the font format and click Copy Copy.

The copied font format is added to the list. The number added indicates the copy.

You can modify the font format. Users can use the font format for individual models or you can assign it to the database as the default font format.

Delete Delete

You can delete font formats that are no longer in use.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Font format Font formats.

  3. Selected items Select the font format and click Delete Delete.

  4. To confirm the action, click Delete.

The font format is deleted and no longer available.

After deleting a font format, the database elements that used the deleted font format switch to the default font format of the database.

Edit font Edit font format.

For each database, you can modify font formats that you can use when no templates are assigned to models.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Font format Font formats.

  3. Selected items Select the font format and click Edit font Edit.

    All attributes are displayed in the language with which you logged in.

  4. Select the configuration language in which you want to enter the name. The font format is automatically applied to the selected language.

    Use configuration languages to specify the names and descriptions of all items that are managed in the Configuration section for this tenant, such as method items, filters, templates, font formats, content type sets, and evaluation scripts.

    The Configuration administrators create the set of configuration languages that are available on a tenant.

    Warning

    You must enter a name in each related language. If you do not enter the name for a specific language, the font format is displayed as (Untitled) and anyone who uses the language will not be able to find the font format.

  5. Select the font that you want to use for this font format in the selected language. Do not select fonts written in red. These fonts cannot display letters in the selected language.

  6. Select the related script. The script defines the font family for which the font is used, for example, Western or Japanese.

  7. Select the color, style, and the font size as required.

  8. Select Use as default if you want to use the font format as default for this database.

  9. Click Apply.

The font format is changed.

Set as default Use as default

For each database, you can select the font format that is automatically used if users have not assigned a template to models.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Font format Font formats.

  3. Selected items Select the font format that you want to use and click Set as default Use as default.

The font format is automatically used to display model content when no template is assigned.

Change lists

A change list contains selected contents from a database that are versioned together and saved in a change list under a change list number. Change lists are sorted in ascending order.

Versioned database content can include individual models, multiple models without interdependencies, related models, group content, or the entire database contents.

A description of the change list characterizes the versioned contents. The change list description records who versioned which database content, when, and why. Opening a change list displays the database content you selected for versioning. You can select models or the entire database content.

You can Delete Delete change list numbers that are no longer needed.

You can delete old versions of databases that are no longer in use. Deleting obsolete versions helps reduce the size of versionable databases and the time for backing up large databases.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Change lists Change lists.

  3. Move the mouse pointer to the required change list number to keep and click Delete Delete. All previous versions of the database get deleted. The current change list number will remain as the oldest version.

    To prevent data loss, create a back up of the database that contains all versions.

  4. To confirm the action, click Delete.

All previous versions of the database are deleted. The change list from which you started the action is displayed as the oldest version of the database.

Variant management

Choose how to handle model and object variants in versionable database.

You can do the following:

Enable enhanced variant management.

You can enable variant management for versionable databases.

Prerequisite

  • You have the ARIS Enterprise Administration license privilege.

  • You have the Database administrator function privilege.

Procedure

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration. The Configuration Configuration view is shown.

  2. Click Databases.

  3. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Variant management Variant management.

  4. Enable the Enable enhanced variant management check box. By enabling the enhanced variant management, the "classic" variant creation in ARIS Architect is deactivated. This means that you can no longer create variants in this database with ARIS Architect, so variant creation for this database is only possible in ARIS.

  5. In the breadcrumb navigation, click Databases. The list of the databases is displayed. If you want to create the master model in a language other than the current default language, perform the following steps.

  6. Click Properties Properties > Database languages Languages.

  7. For the language you want to set as the default language click Set as default Use as default. If the selected language is already the default language, Set as default Use as default is not available.
    If you want to use different languages for the master model and model variants, you must set the default language as the language, in which the master model is created.

  8. Exit the databases configuration.

You can use variant management for this database. Master owners can capture general processes in master models and trigger the roll-out across national borders. Variant owners must adapt the model variants to their country-specific requirements with system support.

Manage exclusion groups.

You can define exclusion groups to store objects to be excluded from variant creation. If model variants are created, objects stored in exclusion groups are placed as occurrence copies instead of object variants.

Warning

If you create an object collection before using the objects in models, keep in mind that objects not used in models are deleted during a database reorganization.

Define exclusion groups

You can define exclusion groups to store objects to be excluded from variant creation. If model variants are created, objects stored in exclusion groups are placed as occurrence copies instead of object variants.

Prerequisite

  • You have the ARIS Enterprise Administration license privilege.

  • You have the Database administrator function privilege.

Procedure

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration. The Configuration Configuration view is shown.

  2. Click Databases.

  3. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  4. Click the name of the database in which you want to define an exclusion group and click Properties Properties > Variant management Variant management.

  5. Click Add exclusion group. The bar opens and you can expand the database groups.
    If you want to create a new group as an exclusion group, click Create group, enter a name, and click OK.

  6. Select the group you want to exclude from variant creation and click Add exclusion group. The selected group is listed.

  7. Follow the same steps to exclude other groups.

  8. Enable the check box Consider exclusion groups in ARIS Architect if the groups should also be considered as exclusion groups in ARIS Architect. If you have enabled the Enhanced variant management check box, Consider exclusion groups in ARIS Architect is gray because ARIS Architect does not provide enhanced variant management.

You defined the groups that contain objects, which are excluded from variant creation.

Remove exclusion groups

You can remove the Excluded status for groups so that variants are created instead of occurrence copies for the content when creating model variants.

Prerequisite

  • You have the ARIS Enterprise Administration license privilege.

  • You have the Database administrator function privilege.

Procedure

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration. The Configuration Configuration view is shown.

  2. Click Databases.

  3. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  4. Click the database that contains the exclusion group you want to delete and click Properties Properties > Variant management Variant management.

  5. Enable the check boxes of the exclusion groups you want to remove so that variants can be created again for their contents.

  6. Click Remove exclusion groups.

  7. To confirm the action, click Delete.

The selected exclusion groups are removed.

Function privileges

To perform certain actions in a database, users need the related function privileges that you can assign for each database. The database-related function privileges come in addition to the function privileges that can be assigned tenant-wide in ARIS Administration.

You can do the following:

Manage function privileges.

Users and user groups that have the Database administrator function privilege in ARIS Administration automatically have all function privileges and access to all the databases of a tenant. You cannot change privileges of database administrators or tenant-wide system users.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Access privileges Function privileges.

  3. Click User groups or Users and click the entry to which you want to grant function privileges.

  4. Enable the required privileges.

    If you selected Users, you can see the function privileges that are individually assigned to the user, the privileges the user inherited from the user groups, and the sum of privileges the user has.

Single users or members of user groups receive all the function privileges granted for this database. This changes the privileges in ARIS only. The function privileges of a user in ARIS Administration are not affected.

Manage system users for a database.

System users have all function and access privileges in a database. To be on the safe side, create additional system users besides the system user system.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Access privileges Function privileges.

  3. Click Users and use the filter to navigate to the related user that you want to make a system user for this database.

  4. Enable the System user check box.

The user receives all function and access privileges for this database. This changes the privileges in ARIS only. The function privileges of a user in ARIS Administration are not affected.

To reject system user privileges, clear the respective check boxes. If the Database administrator function privilege was assigned to a user in ARIS Administration, this user has full access to all databases of the tenant. For such users, you cannot disable the System user check box. System users can only revoke privileges from users that are system users in single databases.

Access privileges

Use access privileges to control which data is accessible to users. Based on their access privileges, users can see, comment, create/edit, delete, or version models and objects.

You can do the following:

Allow user groups or single users access to database groups.

To view, comment, edit, delete, and version database content, users need access privileges to the related database groups. To save time, you can grant access to user groups so that all members have access to the selected database groups. You can also grant access to individual users. Users that have the Database administrator function privilege in the ARIS Administration automatically have access to all the databases of a tenant. You cannot change privileges of database administrators or tenant-wide system users.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Access privileges Access privileges.

  3. Select the database group for which you want to change access privileges for user groups or users. Click the Expand Expand and Open menu Collapse icons to navigate the hierarchy, or use the Filter filter to find database groups. You can create missing subgroups.

    On the right-hand side, all user groups are listed to which you can grant access privileges. If you select Users, all users are listed.

  4. Click Edit Edit to manage the access privileges of a user group. For users, you can only manage access privileges that were granted to the user.

  5. Select the required set of access privileges to be granted.

    No access (----)

    Users see the group structure of the database. Group contents are not displayed.

    Read (r---)

    The group content is displayed. Users can open models but neither change models and objects, nor add or delete new items.

    Read + Comment (rc--)

    The group content is displayed. Users can use all functions of Collaboration in ARIS.

    Read + Write (rw--)

    The group content is displayed. Users can change models and objects, add new items, delete object occurrences from models, but not object definitions.

    Read + Write + Delete (rwd-)

    The group content is displayed. Users can modify models and objects and add and delete items.

    Read + Version (r--v)

    The group content is displayed. Users can open and version models but neither change models and objects, nor add or delete new items.

    Read + Comment + Version (rc-v)

    The group content is displayed. Users can use all functions of Collaboration in ARIS and open and version models. Users cannot add, change, or delete database items.

    Read + Write + Version (rw-v)

    The group content is displayed. Users can change models and objects, add new items, delete object occurrences from models, and version models. Object definitions cannot be deleted.

    Read + Write + Delete + Version (rwdv)

    The group content is displayed. Users can modify models and objects, add and delete items, and version models.

  6. If you want to only grant access to the selected database group, click Apply. If you want to grant access to all subordinate database groups as well, click Pass on.

Access privileges have been granted.

Create database group.

Add database groups to databases.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Access privileges Access privileges.

  3. Click the Expand Expand and Open menu Collapse icons to navigate the hierarchy, or use the Filter filter to find database groups.

  4. Select the database group to which you want to add the subordinate group.

  5. Click Create group.

  6. Specify the name of the group and click Create group.

The database group is added. Access permissions are the same as the ones granted for the superior database group.

Change the access permissions if required.

Statistics

The Statistics page gives you an overview about the size and numbers of items available in each database of the tenant. The information provided can help you to reduce the size of a database. Reducing the database size can improve the performance. Use the Show statistics about list to enable the database items that you want to see in the dashboard of the selected chart type.

If you observe basic factors from the start, you can optimize a database's size in terms of content. This results in faster database operations, such as backup and restore. Furthermore, administrative tasks become significantly easier. Consider this example: If you assign or change access privileges through the user groups, you do this only once for all users of the user group, instead of repeating the procedure for each user.

  • Just create the required user groups and delete user groups that you no longer need.

  • Delete database languages that are no longer in use from the database and the configuration. If a language comes back in use, you can create it again.

  • Create only those font formats that you use and delete the ones you do not require.

  • Create only the filters and templates that you use, and delete the ones you do not require. The Filters are not stored in the databases but will users to work only with the items they require.

  • Assign users access privileges to users through the user groups.

  • Reduce the size and resolution of images and embedded objects. For example, you can insert large logos in models and reduce their display size later, but they still take up the space required for their original size. If models with logos are versioned, the logos even take up this space in the database multiple times.

  • Distribute objects in different groups. For example, this makes sense because the group structure of a database reflects organizational structures of an environment. In this case, it makes no sense to save all object in the main group, for example. Database operations are faster if each group contains up to 1000 objects.

  • Therefore, it is recommended that you keep only objects that you really need in the database. If objects that no longer have any occurrences in any model have piled up, create a database backup and reorganize. During the reorganization, all objects that no longer have occurrences in any model are deleted.

  • Use suitable model sizes. The large size of a model that contains many objects affects both the model legibility and performance.

  • Modeling

    • Use occurrence copies if you want to use the same object in different models.

    • Use variants only for models and objects that differ. When creating model variants, you can decide which objects are to be created as a new variant, for which objects existing variants are to be used, and for which objects occurrence copies are to be created.

  • Versioning

    • Version only models that must be versioned. If you version the entire database every time, it becomes very large.

    • Do not create versions to save intermediate results. For this, we recommend database backups.

    • Delete versions you no longer need.

The Statistics dashboard gives an overview about all items stored in a database.

  1. Select the database and click Properties Properties > Statistics Statistics. The dashboard shows the number of database items (default selection).

  2. Expand list Expand the Show statistics about list and select the database items that you want to see in the dashboard. Your selection only remains until you log in again.

  3. If required, select another chart type to display the result as bars or pie chart.

The chart is displayed.

To print the chart, download the chart as a graphic, or download the used data set, click the Chart menu.

Identifier

By assigning identifiers to users, you can identify the users who created database items. If you activate Identifiers, the Identifier attribute is specified for each created database item. Therefore, the individual identifier assigned to a user is used as a prefix and a sequential number is added. If no individual identifier has been assigned to users, the default identifier of the database is assigned automatically. STD is used by default. You can manage identifiers if you have the database-related Prefix management function privilege.

You can do the following:

Add font format Create identifier

Add identifiers that you can assign to users of the database.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Click Add font format Create identifier.

  4. Specify the identifier. You can enter up to 20 characters without blanks, such as @ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z { | } ~.

    Identifiers are always saved in uppercase. Lower case letters are converted automatically into uppercase letters.

  5. If you want to use the identifier as default identifier for the database, enable Use as default.

  6. Click Create.

The identifier is available.

You can assign identifiers to users. Identifiers are specified for database items if you have activated automatic ID assignment.

Activate Activate identifiers

Automatically specify the Identifier attribute value for new database items. If you have assigned individual identifiers to users, the related value is used. If no individual identifier is assigned, the default identifier is specified.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Click Activate Activate identifiers.

You have activated automatic ID assignment so that you can identify the users who created database items.

If you no longer need to identify users, click Deactivate Deactivate identifiers.

If you select an identifier, you can do the following:

Edit font Edit identifier

You can change the identifier.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Selected items Select the identifier and click Edit font Edit.

  4. Change the identifier and click Update.

The identifier was changed.

The changed identifier is specified for new database items when ID assignment is activated. Former Identifier attribute values remain.

Delete Delete identifier

You can delete identifiers you no longer need.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Selected items Select the identifier and click Delete Delete.

  4. To confirm the action, click Delete.

The identifier is deleted.

From now on, the default identifier of the database will be used for those users that had the deleted identifier assigned.

Set as default Use as default

For each database, you can select an identifier that is automatically used for users who have no individual identifier assigned.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Selected items Select the identifier and click Set as default Use as default.

In this database, the identifier is used as default.

Assign identifier to user

You can assign identifiers to users to identify the users who created database items.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Databases.

  2. Selected items Select the database and click Properties Properties > Identifiers.

  3. Click User assignment.

  4. Selected items Select the users and click Edit font Assign identifier. All identifiers of the database are shown.

  5. Select the required identifier and click Apply.

The identifier is used for the selected users. You can change the assignment any time.

The identifier is specified for new database items when identifiers are activated.