Release of Enterprise Architect 6.0 for UML 2.0 sets new benchmark

Creswick, Australia - Sparx Systems, a leading developer of UML 2.0 based modeling tools, today announced the release of version 6.0 of its flagship product, Enterprise Architect. This latest update sets a new benchmark for modeling tools by combining industry standard UML 2.0 with process and development features that allow teams to manage the entire development lifecycle in a single, unified platform.

With ever increasing demands to deliver complex software systems to tight schedules, today’s software development teams are often required to pull together information held in many tools and in many locations. Assembling, cross-referencing and managing information can be a time consuming and laborious task. In the past, tracking dependencies between artifacts held in different tools has been difficult and often poorly implemented. The new Enterprise Architect 6.0 introduces new features that solve this problem by automating the tracking process.

CEO and founder of Sparx Systems, Geoffrey Sparks, said "With version 6.0 we have opened the door to a new level of modeling expressiveness and power. By looking in depth at the problems and issues facing both software and non-software related development projects, and by listening to the feedback from our enthusiastic user base, we have created a new, agile and exciting way of tying together all aspects of the development process."

Geoffrey Sparks said the new release of Enterprise Architect revolutionizes the development process by integrating common lifecycle tools into a single, unified platform based on UML 2.0., Enterprise Architect goes further than simply supporting all 13 UML 2.0 diagrams – it also integrates extensive support for managing requirements and project resources, test planning and execution with jUnit and nUnit, compilation, debugging of Java and .NET applications, a collaborative discussion forum, version control, sophisticated reporting and document editing, data modeling and code engineering of a wide range of common development languages including key XML based technologies, such as XSD and WSDL.

Software visualization has also been enhanced in version 6.0, with the ability to build UML 2.0 sequence diagrams from executing Java and .NET code. Diagramming is now as simple as walking through executing code using the inbuilt Java or .Net debugger and letting Enterprise Architect turn the result into high quality UML sequence diagrams.

A long time proponent of pluggable technologies and domain specific modeling techniques, Sparx Systems has also expanded Enterprise Architect’s support for UML Profiles and UML extensions. With this additional support, both Sparx and add-in vendors now easily support new and emerging industry standards based on the UML 2.0 meta-model.

Sparx currently plans on releasing add-ins for Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), SysML (Systems Modeling Language) and other notations in the near future. Extensible model validation, MOF support, configurable user interface perspectives and an all new shape-scripting language allow Enterprise Architect 6.0 to dynamically support a wide range of new graphical notations, rules and modeling conventions.

Version 6.0 represents a major upgrade to previous versions and redefines the scope for today's UML based modeling tools. Sparx has built upon the core strengths of Enterprise Architect, while introducing a range of features that boost productivity across all facets of system development. This latest offering cements Sparx's position at the forefront of innovation in the modeling domain, providing one of the most popular tools on the market.

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About Sparx Systems
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Founded in 1996 by Geoffrey Sparks, Sparx Systems is a privately held company based in Creswick, Australia. Sparx Systems has become a leading developer of UML based modeling tools with its flagship product, Enterprise Architect, being the first to support all 13 UML 2.0 diagrams. Used in over 60 countries world-wide and experiencing four straight years of 50 percent growth, Enterprise Architect is one of the fastest-growing UML modeling tools in the world.