Misc. questions about SAB diagram

Capella
1

Hi,
I’m trying to create the [SAB] Top Level System Overview of the IFE example (slide 16 of the IFE presentation), and I have some questions:
1° Since this diagram is very similar to the [SDFB] Top Level Functional Overview, is it possible to initialize the [SAB] from the [SDFB] ?
2° I can’t find how to create a composite function (in italic).
3° Why are there two identical functional exchanges (Audio Signal) between the aircraft and the passenger ?
Any help appreciated.
Jean-Claude

2

Hi Jean-Claude,
I can partially answer you :

  1. All the elements created before in the [SDFB] Top Level Functional Overview and also the [SC] System Actors are now available in your Capella Model. You can use them in all other diagrams and don’t need to create them again.
    In your case, in the [SAB] Top Level System Overview, if you already created actors, make them appear with this tool
    (click on the palette then click on the blank diagram).
    Then, allocate the corresponding functions with this tool
    (click on the palette then click on the actor).
    If the functions are already allocated, use this tool
    on each actor.
  2. All the actors’ functions contain sub-functions. With the tool
    you can choose either to show the “mother function” or all the sub-functions. If you show the “mother function”, it will appear in italic.
  3. There are two “Audio Signal” exchanges because the function “Provide Aircraft Information, Commands and Means” has a sub-function “Play Sound in Cabin” sending these two exchanges to “Watch Video on Cabin Screen” and “Listen to Audio Announcement” which are sub-functions of “Entertain with IFE System”.
    Hope it will help you
    Regards,
    Jérôme
3

Hello,
About your first question. For a long time users have asked a diagram accelerator that would take the content of a dataflow diagram and initialize automatically the corresponding architecture diagram. That would not be too difficult to develop, but the thing is, the evolution request never received enough priority within Thales to be developed.
SO at the moment, the answer of Jerôme is the only way. What you can do though, is to copy-paste the layout from the dataflow diagram to the architecture diagram. But for a better efficiency, you need to manually pre-arrange your blue boxes (system, components, actors).
Another point related to your second question. You never create a “composite” function. You create a function and maybe at some point you will break it down. What the tool does, and this is what Jérôme is explaining, is to allow you to display non-leaf functions when all the leaf sub-functions are allocated to the same component or actor. Then, it appears in italic. The parent function should be allocated directly though, only the leaf have to be.

4

Hi,
Thanks for your answers. I understand better some points, but I have still some problems.
I created a new SAB :
Then I tried a copy-paste operation from the SFDB to the SAB as Stéphane suggested, but it didn’t work as expected.
The SFs didn’t appear on the SAB diagram. Instead, new SFs with a _1 suffix appeared in the Project Explorer.
During the copy, the message “Performing Business Paste” appeared briefly on the screen.
So I added the actors using the palette tool, and tried to use the method suggested by Jérôme to add the system functions.
For example, I want to allocate the “Entertain with IFE System” function to the passenger.
With the “Manage Function Allocation” tool, I get this dialog :
With the “Allocated Function” tool, I get this dialog :
The function I want to allocate appears in none of these dialogs !
The only way I have found to add this function is to drag it from the Project Explorer to the diagram :
What’s wrong ?

5

First of all, I wrote about copy-paste the layout of diagrams, not copy and pasting the elements. The business copy paste you used copy model elements, and add suffixes.
In Arcadia/Capella, only leaf Functions can be allocated. So it is completely normal that you don’t see it in any of the dialog boxes. To better understand the way diagram works, you should read at least section 5 of the user manual you can download from the website.
Also, to get the spirit of Capella, I would invite you to follow the “Alarm Clock tutorial”. You can get it from the Capella website, section Getting Started / Alarm Clock Sample Model. This will really explain you the basics.