Create a Relationship Type

Enterprise Insight clusters together object types, attribute types, relationship types and diagram types into metamodels which are then assigned to models. This defines what can be created within each model.

Here we will show how a relationship type is created.

• Go to the Relationship Types tab
• Click Create Relationship Type
• Enter a name for your relationship type type in the Relationship Type Name field

Relationships have text to describe their meaning in each direction. For example, if an object (for example "computer") is composed of another (for example "Processor"), the From - To Description would be "is composed of". When read in the opposite direction, this description would need to be reversed, so we might use the To - From Description of "decomposes", therefore:

• • Computer is composed of processor
  • Processor decomposes computer

This logic applies to all relationships unless the bi-directional option is selected, for example "associated with" would read the same in both directions.

• Add a from - to description and a to - from description
• Select a line start, end and middle. This in the visual representation of the relationship.

Each relationship can either be from anything / to anything, in which case we would use the ANY object type to denote this, or it is used for specific combinations of objects. For example, we might want an application to be able to be composed of another, but we probably wouldn't want an application to be composed of a person. By using explicit combinations of permitted object types for the relationship we restrict what can be connected to what.

• Select combinations of From and To objects, then click the right facing arrow to allocate that combination to the relationship
• When inside of the diagram editor, relationships can be triggered by overlapping one shape on another. This can be triggered when the To object is behind the From object, vice versa or either. These options appear to the right of each combination. 
• Optionally, assign attributes to the relationship using the attributes tab
• Please save when you have configured the relationship, it will not be saved automatically