Enhancing Data Modeling in Archi: Leveraging jArchi Scripts

Introduction

Introduction

Archi is a popular open-source modeling tool for ArchiMate practitioners. While its visual interface is powerful and user-friendly, complex modeling tasks or repetitive updates can quickly become tedious. This is where jArchi—a scripting extension for Archi—comes into play. jArchi uses JavaScript to enable automation, bulk editing, validation, reporting, and model transformation inside Archi, turning it into a full-fledged programmable modeling environment.

This article explores how jArchi enhances data modeling in Archi, provides script examples, and offers best practices for integrating scripting into your architecture work.

1. What is jArchi?

jArchi is a plugin for the Archi tool that enables scripting using JavaScript (based on Nashorn, Java 8 engine). It exposes the entire Archi model as a JavaScript-accessible API, allowing users to:

  • Query and manipulate elements and relationships
  • Generate views and update properties
  • Perform bulk renaming or metadata tagging
  • Validate consistency or enforce modeling rules

2. Installing jArchi

To install jArchi:

  1. Download the latest jArchi release from the GitHub repository
  2. Place the JAR file in the Archi plugins folder
  3. Restart Archi and open the Scripting Console (menu: Tools > Scripting)

3. Key Use Cases

  • Bulk creation of elements and relationships from CSV or JSON data sources
  • Model cleanup: Removing orphaned elements or duplicate relations
  • Cross-model analysis: Tagging or linking items based on external metadata
  • Consistency validation: Ensuring all applications are linked to business services
  • Custom report generation with direct HTML or markdown output

4. Example: Create Application Components from CSV


// Load CSV file from workspace
const file = new java.io.File("applications.csv");
const lines = java.nio.file.Files.readAllLines(file.toPath());

lines.forEach((line, i) => {
    if (i === 0) return; // skip header
    const [name, owner] = line.split(",");
    const app = model.createElement("application-component", name.trim());
    app.prop("owner", owner.trim());
});

5. Example: Validate View Consistency


model.views.filter(view => view.name.endsWith("Integration")).forEach(view => {
    const noRelations = view.relationships.filter(rel => !rel.source || !rel.target);
    if (noRelations.length > 0) {
        console.log(`View "${view.name}" has ${noRelations.length} broken relationships.`);
    }
});

6. Best Practices for jArchi

  • Use version control: Save scripts in Git to track changes and share across teams
  • Test on a duplicate model: Always test new scripts on a sandbox copy of your model
  • Use descriptive property names: Avoid generic terms like "tag1" or "custom"
  • Document scripts: Add comments and use modular code for reuse

7. Advanced Topics

  • Integration with REST APIs: Fetch data from CMDBs, issue trackers, or Excel exports
  • Data-driven modeling: Use external files to drive the creation or refactoring of models
  • Dynamic layout: Automate positioning and view generation using layout functions

Conclusion

jArchi empowers Archi users to go beyond the graphical interface, bringing automation, consistency, and extensibility to ArchiMate modeling. Whether you’re importing external metadata, cleaning up models, or generating custom dashboards, jArchi helps you scale your architectural efforts without manual drudgery.

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Keywords

Archi, jArchi, ArchiMate, Archi Scripting, Modeling Automation, Data Modeling, Enterprise Architecture, Archi Scripts, JavaScript in Archi, jArchi Examples, Model Cleanup, EA Automation