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Domain Models

Info:

This is an advanced topic. After installation, your Txture instance will ship with a pre-configured Structure suitable for your use case. In most cases, there should not be a need to get in touch with Semantic Tags.

The Structure in Txture can be freely modified using the Structure Editor. However, for certain Domains (such as Cloud Migration or Caretakers), some elements of the structure require special Semantics which are known to Txture and can be handled appropriately. For example, for the Business Case Builder or Transformation Cockpit module, Txture needs to know which asset type in your structure represents a Virtual Server. We call the domain-specific concepts Domain Models.

In order to perform this matching between your custom structure and the Domain Models, the Structure Editor can attach Semantic Tags to your elements. For example, if your custom structure contains an asset type named VM, you can add the semantic tag Virtual Server to it. This will allow Txture to identify your custom asset type as virtual server. Semantic tags typically have the form #_sem_<meaning> where meaning describes the purpose of this specific semantic tag. For a full list of semantic tags, please check the Structure Editor UI.

Adding Semantic Tags to your Structure​

Semantic Tags can be added to all elements of your structure. A given Semantic Tag can only be applied to one type of element. For example, Virtual Server can only be applied to asset types, while First Name can only be applied to properties. You can add Semantic Tags by using one of the Add Semantic Tags refactoring operations. There is one such operation per element type, e.g. Add Semantic Property Tag, Add Semantic Tag to Asset Type or Add Semantic Tag to Link Type. You can find them in the respective tab of the Add operation layer.

Requirements of Semantic Tags​

Semantic Tags have specific requirements towards the element they are attached to. For example, the Semantic Property Tag First Name requires the property it is attached to to have property type Text and to be single-valued. The Semantic Asset Type Tag Virtual Server requires that the asset type it is attached to has a linked property which has the Semantic Property Tag Technology.

Semantic Tags in general can have the following constraints:

  • Uniqueness in Structure: There can be only one element in the entire structure which uses this tag. This constraint is typical for Semantic Asset Type Tags.
  • Uniqueness in Parent: There can be only one element within the parent element which uses this tag. This constraint applies to Semantic Property Tags (e.g. only one Property linked to an asset type must be tagged with First Name tag) as well as link types (e.g. only one link type tagged with caretaker is allowed in an asset type).
  • Required Property Tag: The tagged asset type or link type must have a linked property which has a certain Semantic Property Tag.
  • Required Link Type Tag: The tagged asset type must have an outgoing link type which has a certain Semantic Link Type Tag.
  • Required Multiplicity: The tagged property or link type must be of a certain multiplicity (specified by the Tag).
  • Required Link Type Target: The tagged link type is required to target an asset type which has a certain Semantic Asset Type Tag.
  • Required Property Type: The tagged property must have a certain property type.

After having added a Semantic Tag to one of your structure elements, the Structure Editor will automatically inform you about its requirements. Unsatisfied requirements will result in warnings. Txture will ignore all Semantic Tags on your structure elements which have unsatisfied requirements.

Requirements of Domain Models​

In order to access domain-specific functionality in Txture, such as the Cloud capabilities, your custom structure needs to satisfy a Domain Model. Domain Models are a collection of Semantic Tags which need to be placed on your Structure elements.

Your Structure satisfies a Domain Model if:

  • All Semantic Tags required by the Domain Model are placed on Structure elements and
  • All Semantic Tag Requirements are met.

Please note that a Structure can satisfy multiple Domain Models at the same time. Also it is possible to share e.g. an asset type between Domain Models by assigning multiple Semantic Tags to it.

Configuring the Ownership Concept​

One of the key use cases for semantic tags is the concept of ownership on assets. This means that natural persons are modelled as assets in Txture and that these persons have a link to asset types which they can "own". In order to achieve this, add the tag Ownership to the structure. This tag has some requirements, which will be displayed as errors until fulfilled: Configure an asset type (typically named User or Stakeholder) and tag it with the Semantic Tags Natural person and Txture User. After adding the required properties to the new Stakeholder asset type, the next step is create a new link point from to owned asset type to the Stakeholder asset type and tag it with Ownership by natural person.

Info:

Adding the Txture User semantic tag to an asset type implies that for each user account imported to Txture, an asset of the tagged asset type will be created.

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