Data Exchange - Import and Export Interfaces

Import and Synchronization interfaces with other modeling tools and data-sources

iServer Data Exchange provides a variety of import and synchronization mechanisms, where business process models and associated metadata can be imported from other common BPA tools and re-created in Visio automatically.

Key facts about iServer Data Exchange

• XML and XMI
  XML is the most common import mechanism from other BPA tools. Processes can be generated automatically as Visio diagrams using the XML output from the BPA tool.
  
  XMI (XML Metadata Interchange, an OMG standard), is also supported.
• Excel
  Information (artifact lists, metadata, relationships) is frequently stored in spreadsheets. This information can be imported directly into the Repository.
• Synchronization for Master Data Management
  iServer is used by many customers in the wider context of Enterprise Architecture, where an organization is likely to use more than one tool and therefore an important requirement is the ability to exchange information between the different tools. If one tool is used as the master storage point for all application artifacts, but the rest of the architecture is managed in iServer, it is necessary and useful to reflect the application artifacts within iServer - they need to be related to other aspects of the architecture - but a simple one-off import is insufficient. Firstly, because the other tool is the chosen storage point for applications, and secondly because the imported copy would quickly become out of date. iServer Data Exchange provides a synchronization mechanism, where artifacts can be imported as read-only, and periodically updated to reflect changes made in the other tool.
• Processes can be imported in bulk, and related to other aspects of the architecture.