Term | Acronym | Synonym(s) | Description | Projection / Access | Icon | Product |
Administrator | — | — | An arKItect Administrator is a person responsible for workspace management. Only an Administrator has the rights to grant access to a workspace. | — | — | arKItect |
Analysis (as object's type in the Process view) | — | — |
| Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Anchor point | — | — | Anchor points represent the possible locations for docking a link on an object container. Several flows, even of different types, can be connected to the same anchor point. Anchor points become visible - appear as green points - when the mouse cursor is passed over the border of an object container. There are only three anchor points on each edge of the object container. | — |
| arKItect |
ArkiId | — | — | An attribute of arKItect objects which is used to identify different objects. ArkiId is a string of 255 characters. | - Ribbon / Home / Object / Properties | — | SEA |
arKItect Designer | — | — | An arKItect Designer is one of the three types of the arKItect users (arKItect Designer, arKItect Developer, read-only user). An arKItect Designer is the person responsible for the creation of meta-models. An arKItect Designer can use / modify existing meta-models and also create new ones. Thus, an arKItect Designer (contrary to an arKItect Developer) can edit the meta-models. | — | — | arKItect |
arKItect Developer | — | — | An arKItect Developer is one of the three types of the arKItect users (arKItect Designer, arKItect Developer, read-only user). An arKItect Developer is a person working with project data and variants. An arKItect Developer (contrary to an arKItect Designer) cannot edit the meta-models. | — | — | arKItect |
arKItect Scheduler | — | — | The arKItect Scheduler is an add-on for arKItect, even if it actually runs arKItect and is not run by arKItect. It helps arKItect users with its two main features:
| Projection: "Process" | — | arKItect |
Assumptions (as object's type in the Use Cases view) | — | — |
| Projection: "Use Cases Management" |
| SEA |
Attributes | — | Properties | Attributes are additional data items that can be added to characterize types. There are several attribute types, for instance Boolean, integer, real number, text (String or Memo), date, application, author, hyperlink, file, saved file, pointer, program, and enumeration. Attribute values are a part of the project data and they are defined in the table of Properties. Similarly to types, attributes are managed in the Rules and can be filtered in Filters. Attributes and their values can sometimes be visible in the IBD (this is controlled in the meta-model by the arKItect Designer). | - Ribbon / Home / Object / Properties |
| arKItect |
Basic message |
|
|
|
|
| arKItect |
Bidirectional flow | — | — | Bidirectional flow is one of the three types of Objects' relations in arKItect. In a bidirectional flow, the parent object contains the child as a bidirectional flow (both an input and an output at the same time).
| To activate the bidirectional property, check the corresponding check-box in the Type Properties window. |
| arKItect |
BusinessSpace | BS | — | Business spaces include workspaces which include projects. | — | — | arKItect |
BusinessSpaces Administration Management | BAM | tool 0 | BAM, also known as tool 0, is designed to create and manage business spaces for new arKItect customers. | — | — | arKItect |
Child flow |
|
|
|
|
| arKItect |
Child object |
|
|
|
|
| arKItect |
Children function |
|
|
|
|
| arKItect |
Comment (as object's type) | — | — |
| - Projection: 4.0. "Define physical architecture" |
| SEA |
Component Architecture Document (as object's type in the Project Description view) (Dossier d'Architecture Composante : DAC) | CAD | — | The CAD is a document describing the architecture which is filtered according to one component of the system. Format: Word. | Projection: "Project Description" |
| SEA |
Consumer | — | — | A consumer is an object containing a child object defined as a consumed flow. | — |
| arKItect |
Container | — | — | A container is the graphical representation of an object in a diagram. The name of the object is displayed on the container; the name might only be partially visible if the size of the container is insufficient to display the entire name. The containers of different types can have different shapes, colors and text fonts; the appearance of containers is controlled in the meta-model. However, if the type has been defined as flexible, it is possible to control the appearance of each individual container from the object properties. | — | — | arKItect |
Context diagram | — | — | Context diagram shows the system exchanges with enabling systems. | Projection: 3.0. "Define functional architecture" | — | arKItect |
Data flow | — | — | Data flow is one of the two types of the flows. It presents data exchange (such as control, command, regulation …) between two objects. Contrary to physical flow, it cannot be used for material or energy exchanges. | — |
| SEA |
Dictionary | — | — | The objects dictionary contains the list of the objects defined in the meta-model. It gives a rapid access to view / modify / delete the existing objects and their properties and also to create new objects. | Ribbon / Home / Search / Types |
| arKItect |
Enabling system | — | — | An enabling system is "a system that complements a system-of-interest during its life cycle stages but does not necessarily contribute directly to its function during operation" [INCOSE 2006]. | — |
| SEA |
Filter | — | — | A filter permits to choose which rules of the project are to be used as a basis for a projection; only the object instances corresponding to these rules are displayed in the treeview and the IBD. Each filter creates one projection and, inversely, each projection is created by a corresponding filter (there is a one-to-one correspondence/ bijection). Both the filter and its projection share the same name. | Ribbon / Tools / Rules & Filters / Filters | — | arKItect |
First-level children | — | — |
| — | — | arKItect |
First-level flows | — | — |
| — | — | arKItect |
Flow | — | — | In arKItect, flows are a special sub-category of objects. They are special in only one respect: what makes an object a flow is the relationship between the parent and child types. In the case of flows, the relation between a parent and a child object instance is production or consumption. | — |
| arKItect |
Flow mark | — | — | The flow mark is a graphical display indicating that an object container represents a flow in a diagram. The flow mark is displayed as a small white square on the flow container next to the incoming or outgoing link. | — |
| arKItect |
Focus object | — | — | The focus object is the object whose first-level children are displayed in the IBD; this object is also selected in the treeview. | IBD and TreeView | — | arKItect |
FSR | — | — |
| Projection: "Process" / Tools / SDF / Import FSR and TSR | — | SEA |
Function (as object's type in the Allocate Reqs on functions and flows view) | — | — | Function type defines an activity, a task that the system performs. Functions are designed to cover requirements. | Projection: 3.1. "Allocate Reqs on functions and flows" |
| SEA |
Functional Architecture (Architecture fonctionnelle) | — | — | The functional architecture of a system defines the hierarchy of system functions and subfunctions as well as their interactions (functional flows) influencing the order of execution, conditions on data and control flows and the required system performance in regard to stakeholder requirements. In arKItect, functional architecture is composed of three principal elements: 1) functions, 2) data and physical flows, 3) requirements allocation. | Projection: 3. "Functional architecture" | — | SEA |
Functional Architecture Document (Dossier d'Architecture Fonction : DAF) (as object's type in the Project Description view) | — | — | The FAD is a document describing the architecture filtered according to one function of the system. Format: Word. | Projection: "Project Description" |
| SEA |
Functional flow | — | — | The functional flows represent the interactions between the system functions as well as the interaction between the system and the external environment (Context system). | Projection: 3. "Functional architecture" |
| SEA |
Gate | — | — | A gate creates a tunnel between two points of a diagram. This allows the separation of one or several flow(s) in the diagram into two pieces. It helps reading the complex diagrams. | — |
| SEA |
Generic project | — | — | A generic project is a global version of a project containing all necessary data for its implementation. Its modification affects specific(s) project(s). | — | — | arKItect |
Graph Box Information | GBI | — |
| Tools / Project Tools / MatDraw | — | arKItect |
Graph Data Display | GDD | — | A format to export graphical views of the project. | Tools / Project Tools / MatDraw | — | arKItect |
Graphical input | — | — |
|
|
|
|
Graphical Meta-Model Updater | GraphicMMU | — | GraphicMMU is a wizard-based tool to save and/or apply differences between two arKItect projects to a third one. |
|
| arKItect |
Import (as object's type in the Process view) | — | — | Import from a Rational DOORS module. | Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Internal Block Diagram (diagramme des données) | IBD | — | The IBD is a graphical representation which includes the contents of the project, as like as in the Treeview (two different representations). The IBD is focused on one object at a time; it displays the first-level child objects of the focus object as well as the flows between them. The IBD could thus be called a horizontal view of the system. | A tab under the Ribbon | — | arKItect |
Internal view | — | — | The internal view of an object is a tabular view of all its children along with their attributes. The children are organized in tabs (one tab per type). |
| — | arKItect |
Label | — | — | A label is a text field displaying the name of a flow. It is usually displayed next to the link; however, it can also be hidden. | Ribbon / Home / Display / Labels in diagrams |
| arKItect |
Link (as flow's type in the Process view) | — | — | A link is a graphical display. A link between two objects represents one or more flows between these objects. The names of the flows are displayed on the link label. If too many flows go through a link, only the first flow identifiers are displayed on the label and a "..." is added at the end of the list. In this case, it is necessary to double-click on the link to display the extended list of flows associated to it. | Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Link area (as object's type in the Define physical architecture view) | — | — |
| Projection: 4.0. "Define physical architecture" |
| SEA |
Link components | — | — | There is no special link components tool. Instead in order to link objects it is enough to approach the border of the object to highlight the anchors points, select one, start drawing a link and drop it onto an anchor point of another object. |
|
| arKItect |
Macro function (as object's type in the Define physical architecture view) | — | — |
| Projection: 4.0. "Define physical architecture" |
| SEA |
Message Sequence Chart (as object's type in the Use Cases view) (Diagramme de séquence) | MSC | — | MSCs are a way of representing entities and message interactions between entities over some time period and are often used in combination with SDL. MSCs are popular in Telecom and data networks and standards to specify how protocols operate. | Projection: 0. "UseCase Management" / Draw scenarios / Treeview / right click on MSC / Draw MSC to open MSC Editor |
| SEA |
Message Sequence Chart Module | MSC Module | — | The MSC Module is a program that parses MSC descriptions and produces graphical output. It aims to provide a simple text language that is easy to create, edit and understand, and which can be transformed into images. |
|
| SEA |
Meta-model | — | — | The meta-model can be seen as a set of rules governing the way in which it is possible to work with project data. The meta-model defines the types of objects and the rules managing their relationships, as well as the properties of filters. The meta-model along with the project data and variants are an essential part of an arKItect project. The existence of a meta-model is prerequisite for the creation of project data. | Ribbon / Tools / Rules & Filters / Rules | — | arKItect |
Model GateWay | MGW | — | This tool is developed by KI and uses the arKItect environment to create script used to import / export object between arKItect and Excel. |
|
| arKItect |
Model status (as object's type in the projection: "Project Description") | — | — |
| Projection: "Project Description" |
| SEA |
Next (as flow's type in the Process view) | — | — | A type of flow, used to connect successive steps of the System Engineering Data Management process. | Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Object | — | — | The basic project data entity in arKItect is called an object. Each object can also have one or several named data fields, called attributes. | — | — |
|
Object branch | — | — |
|
|
| arKItect |
Object container | — | — |
|
|
| arKItect |
Object Location | — | — | In Object Location, you see the parents and all the ancestors of an object up to the root of the project. If the object has multiple parents, all these parents are shown. The focus of Location changes automatically when objects are selected in the IBD or treeview. | - Ribbon / Home / Object / Location button |
| arKItect |
Object Properties | — | — | A special window that gives access to: 1) General Properties like Type (not modifiable), Name (editable) and Revision (editable), 2) Attributes | - Ribbon / Home / Object / Properties |
| arKItect |
Operation (as object's type in the Test-unit with validation mean view) | — | — | Operation is an object that groups a Test-Unit and a Validation Mean. It means that the requirements of the Test-Unit are tested by the Validation Mean included in the operation. | Test-unit with validation mean view |
| SEA |
Option | — | Choice | Options are different possible values for one object's property. For example, a 'Memory Card' as an object has a property called 'Size' which can have the following values: 4 GB, 8 GB, 32 GB. Each value is considered as an option for Size of the Memory Card. Options can be classified in different categories. An option belongs to one and only one option category, whereas an option category can contain several options. A given option can be compatible with one or more object variants. In order to be able to filter the project for a variant, it is necessary to define the values of options for the concerned object instances in the Object Properties. | - Ribbon / Home / Object / Optons button |
| arKItect |
Option Category | — | — | An Option Category is a branch in the object structure. Option categories permit to model different object branches simultaneously within the scope of one single project. Option categories can contain one or more options and can be organized into folders. | via Option Manager |
| arKItect |
Option Folder | — | — | Option Folders are used to group Option Categories in order to facilitate their use. |
|
| arKItect |
Options Manager | — | — | The Options Manager tool allows to modify options which differentiate the variants of an object. | Ribbon / Configuration Management / Manage Options, Variants, Phases / Define Options |
| arKItect |
Outer flow | — | — |
|
|
| arKItect |
Parent-child Relation | — | — | In arKItect, when an object (child) is placed in another one (parent), they have a parent-child (hierarchical) relation. |
|
| arKItect |
Persistent flow | — | — | A flow which is highlighted in red, in order to be seen easily in different views. | Right click on a flow |
| arKItect |
Physical architecture | — | — | An architecture which represents the physical components of the system and their relations. | Projection: "Physical architecture" | — | SEA |
Physical flow | — | — | Physical flow is one of the two types of the flows. It presents material or energy exchanges. | — |
| SEA |
Physical interface (as object's type in the Define physical architecture view) | — | — | Physical interfaces are the physical means to support the physical relations between the system, its components (sub-systems), its enabling systems, and its environment. Thus, we have two levels of physical interfaces: internal and external. | Projection: "Define physical architecture" |
| SEA |
Physical relation (as flow's type in the Define physical architecture view) | — | — | In arKItect, direction for physical relation is not important because this flow is bidirectional | Projection: "Define physical architecture" |
| SEA |
Point Asynchrone de Contrôle d'Interface | PACI | — | This script prepares the comparison of two projects to highlight interfaces conflicts. It proceeds as follows: it exports in Excel flows, interfaces and requirements related to System and Enabling systems of the first project. | Projection: "Process" / Tools / Merge / an Export object named PACI | — | SEA |
Outer port | — | — | In the IBD, an outer port is a graphical element representing the point where a link enters to / exits from the focus object. | IBD |
| arKItect |
Producer | — | — | A producer is an object containing a child object defined as a produced flow. | — |
| arKItect |
Project | — | — | A project is the basic work unit in arKItect. The project corresponds to the concept of file (such as a document or a calculation spreadsheet) often used in other software tools. An arKItect project includes a meta-model consisting of rules and filters as well as object instances, diversity management, and many other things. The project is also the logical entity for saved data. | — | — | arKItect |
Project reporting (as object's type in the Project Description view) | — | — | Project reporting gives an overview of the work progress, inconsistencies, and gives detailed information related to data checking within your project. | Projection: "Project Description" |
| SEA |
Projection | — | View | Projections are created by the filters and are accessible via the Navigation panel:
| via Ribbon / Home / Navigation / Show Treeviews | — | arKItect |
Projection data | — | — | The project data represents the data of your project. It is a collection of object instances along with their attributes values and the defined choice values related to variants. The project data also includes graphical information on the positions of objects, object container sizes, flow positions etc. The project data can be visualized in the treeview as well as in the IBD and in the special views. | The project data is visible through different representations such as TreeViews, the Internal Block Diagram (IBD) and special views. | — | arKItect |
Refine (as flow's type in the Define system requirements view) | — | — | It is a kind of flow that allows to detail the functional and non-functional requirements are interpreted in terms of more detailed technical requirements. | Projection: "Define system requirements" |
| SEA |
Relation Block Diagram | RBD | — | The RBD of an object is a sub-part of the IBD of the object's parent. It represents the focus object in ochre with its links and the other objects linked to it. (Remarque : pas évident qu'il faut d'abord faire double clic sur l'objet, pq ça ne marche pas avec une simple sélection ?). It also shows exchanges with grand-parent siblings (Dark gray) | A tab below the Ribbon. | — | arKItect |
Requirement | — | — | A requirement is defined as something that prescribes what a product must do, what is the required performance level and in which conditions the system should to attain a given purpose. A requirement can concern a system function, aptitude, characteristic or a limitation which a product must meet in given environmental conditions. | Projection: "System Requirements Management" | — | SEA |
Requirement Gate Way | RGW | — |
|
|
| SEA |
Requirements and diff Export | — | — | This object contains the script that we have to run to export the requirements, generating an Excel file. | Projection: "Process" | — | SEA |
Requirements Management | — | — | Requirements management aims to identify the client needs and the requirements of the project stakeholders, detected early in the system life cycle and documented accordingly. | Projection: "System Requirements Management" | — | SEA |
Revision |
|
| A Revision is the state at a point of time of the entire project. One revision can be recoverable and two revisions can be compared, if you want, respectively, to restore a project before it undergoes modifications or analyze differences between two revisions. | Configuration Management / Revision / Revision and sharing |
| arKItect |
Root | — | — | The root object symbolizes the project. All the other project components (the types in Rules, the filters and the objects in the treeview) are placed under the root. |
| — | arKItect |
RSA | RSA |
|
|
|
| SEA |
Rule | — | — | A rule links a child type to a parent type in the meta-model. | via Rules and Filters | — | arKItect |
Rules | — | — | Rules could be compared to a class diagram: it describes the meta-model structure on which an arKItect project is based, including the different object types, their attributes and the relations between the types. Rules along with Filters constitute the meta-model of a project. | via Rules and Filters | — | arKItect |
Scenario | — | — | "Scenarios and what-if thinking are essential tools for planners who must cope with the uncertainty of the future… Building scenarios serves as a methodology for planning and decision-making in complex and uncertain environments" [INCOSE 2006]. | Projection: UseCases Management" / Draw Scenarios | — | SEA |
SDL | SDL |
|
|
|
| SEA |
Sequence diagram | — | — | "A sequence diagram represents the interaction between collaborating parts of a system" [INCOSE 2006]. |
| — | SEA |
Sequence information (as flow's type in the Use Cases view) | — | — |
| Projection: "UsesCases Management" |
| SEA |
Specific project | — | — | A specific project is a part of the study extracted from the generic project (specific project is an option and/or variant of the generic project) containing some of its data. Its modification does not impact the generic project. | — | — | arKItect |
SR |
|
|
|
|
| SEA |
Stakeholder | — | — | "A party having a right, share or claim in a system or in its possession of characteristics that meet that party's needs and expectations" [INCOSE 2006]. | — |
| SEA |
Subfilter |
|
|
|
|
| arKItect |
Component | — | — | An object's type to model the components of the system. | Projection: "Physical Architecture" |
| SEA |
System | — | — | An object's type to define "a combination of interacting elements organized to achieve one or more stated purposes" [INCOSE 2006]. | Projection: "Physical Architecture" |
| SEA |
System Architecture | SA | — | System architecture is defined as the selection of types of system elements, their characteristics, and their organization. | Projections: "Functional Architecture" AND "Physical Architecture" | — | SEA |
System Architecture Document (Dossier d'Architecture Système : DAS) | SAD | — | The SAD is a document describing the architecture of the complete system. Format: Word. | Projection: "Process" / Step 5: Functional allocation / Architectural Documents Exports | — | SEA |
System Stakeholder Requirements | SSR | — | The SSR is a document describing the requirements of the stakeholders. Format: Word. | Projection: Tools / Export SSR and STR | — | SEA |
System Technical Requirements | STR | — | The STR is a document describing the internal technical requirements of the system. Format: Word. | Projection: Tools / Export SSR and STR | — | SEA |
Systems Engineering Advanced | SEA | — | The SEA is a user-friendly environment for the modeling of complex systems and for the definition of system specifications. | — | — | SEA |
Tabular view (vue tabulaire) | — | — | The Tabular View of an object presents all the object's children along with their attributes. The Tabular View is a table-form representation of the children of the focus object. The attributes of the children are also represented. It allows an easy navigation between different objects and their attributes. | Tab Tabular view (below the Ribbon) | — | arKItect |
Task | — | — |
|
|
| SEA |
Template (as meta-model) | — | — | A template is an existing meta-model that is used as a basis for the creation of project data. The meta-model of any project located within the same workspace can be used as a template. | Workspaces | — | arKItect |
Templates (as object's type in the Process view) | — | — |
| Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Test-Unit (as object's type in the Test-unit and validation mean view) | — | — | Test-Unit represents a test that should be performed to verify whether a requirement is fulfilled. | Test-unit and validation mean view |
| SEA |
Tools (as object's type in the Process view) | — | — | Tools is an object in the process view that gives access to scripts. | Projection: "Process" |
| SEA |
Treeview (arbre des données) | — | — | Treeview is a tree form representation of the project. Two different representations: IBD & Treeview. | via Ribbon / Home / Navigation / Show Treeviews |
| arKItect |
Triggered Events | — | — | Triggered Events link the execution of scripts to a particular arKItect event. Triggered events are defined in Rules. | Rules and Filters | — | arKItect |
TSR | TSR | — |
| Projection: "Process" / Tools / SDF / Import FSR and TSR | — | SEA |
Type | — | — | A type may be seen as an abstract mold for a set of objects having the same structure and the same attributes (the same properties). In programming and in mathematics, the type Integer is the type of all integers. More generally, a class is a type. A type has a name, a set of attributes, is the child of another type or a child of the root type, and may be the parent of other types. | The type of an object can be seen in the Properties panel: View menu / Display options. | — | arKItect |
UC - Actor link (as flow's type in the Use Cases view) | — | — |
| Projection: "Use Cases Management" |
| SEA |
Use Case | UC | — | A Use Case is a set of steps that defining interactions between actors and systems, to achieve a desired objective. Use Cases are mainly used at a higher level system design (in system engineering area), often representing missions or goals. | Projection: "Use Cases Management" |
| SEA |
Validation Link | — | — |
| Projection: "Validation plan" |
| SEA |
Validation Plan | VP | — | SEA allows us to integrate Validation Plans for hardware and software components. Validation Plans contain tests linked to the system requirements. It helps generate coverage matrix between requirements and tests. | Projection: "Validation plan" | — | SEA |
Variant | — | — | A variant is a subpart of the project; it represents a reduced version of the project or a selection of object instances. Variants are filters that permit to choose between different branches of objects. These branches are often used to represent different technological solutions in the project. In practice, the filtering is done based on the values of options defined in the concerned objects; these choices are associated to given variants. | Ribbon / Configuration Management / Manage Options, Variants, Phases / Define Variants & Phases | — | arKItect |
Variants Manager | — | — | Variant Manager allows to create and modify options and organize them within the variant folders and categories. | Ribbon / Configuration Management / Manage Options, Variants, Phases / Define Variants & Phases |
| arKItect |
Version Management (as object's type in the Projection: "UseCases Management") | — | — |
| Projection: "UseCases Management" |
| SEA |
View | — | — | A view is a graphical representation of a limited part of the modeled system. Besides the IBD, arKItect provides two special views that can be used to work on the project: the Relation Block Diagram and the Tabular View. | — | — | arKItect |
Workspaces (Espaces de travail ) | WS | — | A workspace is a storage and a classification element containing one or several projects. Workspaces are used to order the different projects and can only contain projects. | — | — | arKItect |
Workspaces Administration Management | WAM | — | Manage access to the projects. | — | — | arKItect |
