text: Manage relationships and objects – BlueDolphin
  In this article we explain how to manage relationships and objects (administrators only).
  1. Object definitions and relationships
  2. Managing and creating object definitions
  2.1 General information on object definitions
  2.2. Creation of permitted combinations between object definitions
  2.3. Immediate or deactivate the relationship combination
  2.4. Turning on or off a permitted relationship combination.
  2.5. Adding a label to the object combination
  2.6. Sources and relationships between object definitions
  3. Disable object definitions and relationship combinations already used in plates.
  Object definitions and relationships
  Objects and relationships are the foundation of BlueDolphin. There are different types of objects and relationship types. A relationship connects objects with each other. There are certain rules for which objects you can connect to each other with which type of relation for a landscape or process description that fits with 'Archimate'.
  Objects and their definition
  An object is an application, or a process, or a data object etc. In your own environment you have a lot of objects that you want to add and use to map your landscape. In order to create your own environment, you enter the objects yourself and of what type they are. We make the object definitions you can choose available, but you can also create your own object definitions with a title of your choice.
  Manage and create object definitions
  Go to management - objects. Here you will find all active object definitions in the field of Archimate and BPMN.
  You can first create object definitions, but then leave them switched off for a while. End users can't use them yet. Do you want end users to be able to use them? Make suer you enable the object definitions. We will explain further on how this works.
  You will see a heading with 'Enabled' and a heading with 'Disabled'. It is therefore possible that a number of object definitions are enabled (for everyone to use) or disabled (not usable in the environment). Look in between to see if there is already a suitable object definition between disabled.
  Note: when creating a new object definition, it is automatically switched on immediately.
  - Is the definition of your choice not yet included? Add an object definition using this button:
  - Choose a name for your definition and what it is based on. All new definitions you create are based on predefined object definitions. You can only give them a name yourself.
  Disabling object definition
  When you add this object definition, it will be added to the enabled object definitions.
  If you want to turn it off, because you don't want everyone to be able to use the definition for their objects yet, you can do so:
  - Go to the object definition
  - Choose the three dots behind the definition
  - Select 'Disable object'.
  2.1. General information about the object definition
  Go to the object definition you want to know more about and on the first tab you will find general information such as the name and the object properties you want to fill in about this object in your area.
  You will find the name of the object definition and the properties such as version etc.
  You can also 'Delete all associated objects' here. Do you have a definition that you don't want to be used anymore and do you want to delete it completely? Then you can do that here. All associated objects will be deleted. Be careful with this, it has many consequences for your environment (see chapter 3).
  With this button you can tackle properties that you want to return to all objects that fall under this definition.
  With a questionnaire you can display the information about the object in a more specific way. You can add a questionnaire that you have created here.
  Per object definition* you can allow certain combinations through relationships. The possibilities in this area that we offer, are according to Archimate guidelines. Defining these possibilities is done under the heading Objects.
  *Note: The tab in which you control the combinations between objects is still 'relationship combinations' everywhere in the screen printing in the article. This will be changed to object combinations before release on May 24th.
  Object definition AC 1 (based on object definition ApplicationComponent) does not yet have any permitted object combinations. We are going to add them.
  In this example we are talking about object definition AC 1 (definition created by the user). Here we define which relation of this object definition can be made to which other object definition and with which relation type it is.
  Add permitted object combination
  - We create an object combination according to object definition 'Application component_1.
  - Type of relation is 'User relation'.
  - Note: The relationship combination is newly created, but is disabled by default. You have to enable it manually to use it. You can do this by checking or unchecking the checkbox (add the combination in deactivated mode). See explanation under 2.4.
  2.3. Adding a label to the relationship
  In the examples above you can see that you have a 'type/type' relationship, in this case a user relationship. Automatically labels are created: 'uses' (from object to AC1) and 'is used by' (from AC1 to other object). You can choose to change that label to something that you find clearer for the situation. Think of terms like 'sends to' or 'is driven by', 'indicates information' or 'gets information from'. Everything is possible!
  You can see this immediately when you add an object combination (objects - object definition of your choice - choose relation - specify).
  2.4. Do you want to allow the object to be combined with other objects immediately or set it to inactive?
  You can choose to make the combination active immediately and thus usable for everyone, or to place it on inactive. This means that the combination cannot yet be used and can only be seen by the administrator.
  You can do this by checking or unchecking the box 'add the combination in disabled modus'.
  2.5. Activation of permitted combinations of objects
  A relationship only becomes available to end users when you turn it on as an admin. You can do that right away, as explained above, or you can do it afterwards.
  Do you choose to have it turned off when creating? You enable the (newly created or existing) object combination later as follows.
  - Open the tab relationship combinations
  - Click 'disabled' open
  - Click on the three dots after the combination
  - Switch on combination
  You will find the allowed relation from object definition to object definition, also under the heading relationships.
  Now that you've done this, you'll also find under relationships allowed combinations, where the combination is displayed as read-only.
  In this example we have allowed a user relationship between AC1 and AC1.
  2.6 Sources and relationships between object definitions
  In the object definition you can find which sources are read for the specific object definition.
  The sources that are being read will also adhere to the setup as you have produced with the instructions above.
  So you can read relations between the object definitions.
  For this object, no source has been linked yet.
  If you want to link a source, click on Add source link.
  3. Disable/disable/adjust/delete object definitions and object combinations that are already used in plates.
  When you start working with object definitions and relationship combinations, it has effects on existing objects and relationships in your environment. Below is a schematic description of the contractions that you should take into account.
  What happens in the environment when you work on object combinations on the different levels when you create, modify, or delete allowed relationships?