HOW TO Create an Application Landscape with Views

An Application Landscape as a single interactive diagram, or as a set of views, is of added value when an organization wants to manage the complexity of how applications are related or if an organization wants to change the application landscape in a controlled way.

For instance, to cut costs, standardize it, deduplicate functionality, or integrate applications more efficiently.

This tutorial supports you in creating a basic Application Landscape with Views.

The four main steps are:

Dynamic Application Landscape with Views

This is an application landscape with views. Click on it to view the visualization in the Viewer.

Application Landscape with Views.

Organizations often use more than 100 applications in their business processes. So unmanageable complexity is always around the corner.

This tutorial will make you familiar with the basic steps you need to take to create a full-scale dynamic and interactive Application Landscape like the example above.

This tutorial will take about 15 minutes and is for evaluation purposes and educational purposes.

After completing all the steps in the tutorial, you should have a similar visualization to the one above.

You will have a basic application landscape where applications, application platforms, information objects, and databases are related and grouped into information domains.

On the visualization you will see five different types of shapes. Every shape symbolizes a different entity class.

• Information Domains
• Application Platforms
• Applications
• Information Objects
• Databases

Learning Objectives

The Learning objectives of this tutorial are:

• Setup a Dossier Structure
• Import or Enter Data
• Creating a Model and Link Data to a Model
• Create of Generate a View
• Create or Generate a Visualization using a Template
• Publish a Visualization
• View and Comment the Visualization

In the next seven steps you will work towards creating a basic application landscape.

Step 1: Setup a Dossier Structure

On Dragon1, data is stored in repositories. A repository consists of a cabinet with dossiers and every dossier consists of folders. Folders hold the data you enter.

We will use the Dragon1 web application Architecture Repository to set up a dossier structure. In this dossier structure, we can store our data.

A basic folder structure for an application landscape dossier would be:

Read more on the Help about

Screenshot of the CSV import in the Import Application.

Screenshot of the Imported data in folders in the Architecture Repository.

Step 3: Create a Model

We will use the web applications Architecture Repository and Visual Designer to create a model or link the imported data to an existing model or a visualization template.

On Dragon1, we define a model as a set of related data entities.

Create a model entity with a clear name in the Architecture Repository in a specific folder of a cabinet. Next, insert at least 3 relationship entities in a folder. Link the relationships to your model entity.

You go to the Visual Designer. If you select the model entity in the explorer, you will see a model graph generated showing the relationships you defined. These model relationships you can use in views and visualizations to generate views and visualizations.

Read here on the Dragon1 Help how to do this manually.

Screenshot of creating relationships in the Architecture Repository.

Screenshot of a generated model in the Visual Designer.

Step 4: Create a View

We will use the Visual Designer to create a view.

On Dragon1, a view is defined as a filter of a model for certain data entities. For example purposes, we will generate a view that only shows applications that have a certain value for an attribute (like an overview of applications with an outdated platform or high maintenance costs).

In practice architects often create 20 to 30 different views for the application landscape, all to serve the needs and interests that various stakeholders. The goal is to support their decision-making with (visualizations of) the views or to guide a project with (visualizations of) the views.

Read here on the Dragon1 help how to create views.

Tip: Ask stakeholders for questions the views should answer. You will be surprised with what they will say to you.

Screenshot of a View Data Setup in the Visual Designer.

Screenshot of a generated View in the Visual Designer (Click on the View Data button).

Step 5: Create a Visualization using a Template and Visual Items

We will use the Visual Designer to create a visualization (a canvas with shapes) and use a template for that (to structure the layout of information).

On Dragon1, a visualization is defined as a graphical representation of a view or model. In the Visual Designer, you can create a dynamic or static visualization from scratch or you can use a visualization template.

To create a canvas, select a folder and use the menu buttons to insert a visualization entity. Next, you select a template from the File | New Menu. Next, you place shapes on the canvas, from the libraries at the left bottom. Next, you configure these shapes as visual items as described in the help. Make sure you press on save, to save your work.

When you configure a shape it will be a visual item. A visual item is a shape/data placeholder, meaning Dragon1 will look for data in a folder, model, or view to generate a certain layout (block, row, column, square, circle, or triangle) of data using the shape icon.

You create many scenarios, like using one shape as a grouping container, like a domain, and another shape as container content, like an application or process. You can work with groups and subgroups.

You can also turn shapes into buttons and when you click on them, the shapes or views are shown or hidden.

Read about creating a visualization using a template on the help.

Read about configuring shapes as visual items on the help.

Read about configuring shapes as buttons on the help.

Tip: Try to create a visualization yourself and visualize the view with different shapes.

Screenshot of a Visualization Canvas with Shapes (visual items) in the Visual Designer.

Step 6: Publish a Visualization

We will use the Visual Designer to publish a visualization in the Viewer and the Resource Center, so it can be viewed and commented on by others.

Click on the button below to publish your visualization in the Viewer. We will publish the visualization you created in the step before.

Select the visualization in the Visual Designer and click on the Publish button. The visualization is published to the Viewer.

To publish the visualization in the resource center, create a page and link the visualization to the page as is described here on the help

Screenshot of publishing a visualization in the Visual Designer.

Step 7: View a Visualization with Filters and Popup Dialogs

We will use the Viewer and the Resource Center to watch your visualization.

Go to the Viewer and watch your visualization.

Click on an application and see the information bar at the left appear. Use the features in this bar to search for items or filter out items on the visualization. You can filter any type of data that is in the visualization. If you enter a word in the search with = behind it, the viewer will generate a clickable list showing the found items for that type of data.

Depending on how much data is available for attributes, on mouse over on a shape, a Popup dialog is generated.

Double-click on the visualization to enter and leave a comment for other stakeholders to see and architects to process.

Screenshot of a published visualization with filters in the Viewer.

Step 8: Update a Visualization

You have created a dynamic visualization. So if you change the data in your folders, the change is automatically shown in your visualization.

Go to the architecture repository. Open your cabinet and select a data entity. Change its name and save the change.

Go to the Viewer and watch your visualization. You will see the data has changed in your visualization.

Stakeholders can leave behind comments on the visualization by clicking on a canvas in the viewer. Do this and leave a comment behind. Next, go to the Visual Designer and process the comment.

Click on reports in the information bar and click on History. You see a list of changes made by people to this visualization.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this tutorial or want training and support in creating a full-scale application landscape, please email us: servicedesk@dragon1.com