Popkin Software System Architect
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12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212312345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345 3 PRODUCT REVIEW 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345USINESS ROCESS RENDS 3 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212B P T 3 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123 October 30, 2002 Author: Paul Harmon Popkin Software Executive Editor Business Process Trends System Architect Version 9.0 Vendor: Popkin Software Executive Summary 11 Park Place Popkin’s System Architect Version 9.0, is a leading business process tool in three New York, NY 1000& categories: business architectures, process redesign, and software development. Tel. 212 571 3434 www.popkin.com In addition to good basic functionality as a business process modeling tool and as a European Office: software development tool, System Architect provides support for industry specific St Albans House development by providing templates (models), it supports the OMG’s XMI, making Portland Street diagrams completely portable, and it provides detailed support for a number of frameworks, Leamington Spa including the Zachman framework, and US government frameworks like FEAF, TEAF, Warwickshire CV32 5EZ UK and C4ISR. Popkin has also played a leadership role in the development of the BPMI’s Tel. 01926 450858 XML business process language Founded: 1986 Version 9.0 represents a major breakthrough for an already superior product by adding Ownership: Private an open, scalable repository, which has previously been this tool's major limitation. Employees: 95 This tool should be on the short list of any company considering using a software tool Total company revenue: to support its business process change efforts. $11 million in 2001 The Business Process Market Total employees in R&D: 18 Senior Officers: Business Process Trends classifies vendors of tools and consulting services according Jan Popkin, Founder & CEO to the business process model shown in Figure 1. This classification is based on the Ronald Scherma, President & COO actual phases organizations go through when they change business processes. There Bob Eddins, CTO Kevin Donalds, CFO are tools and services that managers and developers can use during each of the four Chris Nugent, SVP, Sales & Marketing phases. Thus, in each of the phases we identify groups of tools and services that have similar functionality, without regard to the underlying technology employed. Key Technology Partnerships: Microsoft, IBM, Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), Telelogic, OMG, BPMI, The five categories we identify include: (1) strategy and business process architecture Telemanagement Forum, ARTS concerns, (2) the modeling and redesign or improvement of processes, (3) the improvement of human performance, (4) the automation of all or portions of a process, Price: $5,250 per single concurrent and (5) the measurement and management of processes. licence. Most software tools are used in one, or at most two, of these categories. Popkin’s System Architect is unusual in that it plays a leading role in three different areas. System Architect can be used to (1) organize process architectures (or frameworks). It can also be used (2) in the redesign or improvement of processes, and it can be used in (3) the automation of processes. Software Architect supports a wide variety of automation techniques, including workflow, BP XML languages, structured and database design and EAI and UML development. The diverse uses and superior performance of System Architect in these three categories © 2002 Business Process Trends 1 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212312345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345Popkin Software:6 System Architect 9.0 PRODUCT REVIEW 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123 Figure 1. Business Process Trends vendor classification is based on tools and services used in a typical business process change cycle. Green highlighted boxes indicate where System Architect can be used. suggest that System Architect is especially useful for companies that want to standardize on a tool that can support multiple business process functions. System Architect 9.0 System Architect is a modeling tool with editors, software generation utilities and a repository in which all information is stored. The tool has a common interface which is based on the standard features available in Windows 2000. The tool supports the Web, and HTML files can be generated so diagrams can be shared among developers and users. System Architect is available for Windows 98 and above. A PC with 400 MHz and 128 MB of RAM and 200 MB of hard disc space is recommended. Figure 2 provides a general overview of the System Architect architecture. © 2002 Business Process Trends 2 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212312345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345Popkin Software:6 System Architect 9.0 PRODUCT REVIEW 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123 Figure 2. An overview of Popkin’s System Architect, Version 9. At the top of Figure 2 we show a representation of a framework. Using System Architect’s framework facility one can generate an interface that allows developers and users to organize all the documentation in the System Architect repository. Below that we picture five boxes which provide a general way of thinking about the types of modeling and editors available in System Architect. The tool supports a wide variety of diagrams and methodologies for business process modeling, for object oriented software design and development (UML), for database design and modification, for legacy systems software design and development (Structured Methods) and for XML design and development. At the heart of the tool is a repository in which the information from all models is stored. In the past, System Architect's repository was proprietary, but with the release of Version 9.0, the repository is now based on SQL Server. This assures that System Architect can now scale to any size development effort. The