Choosing Edition

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Enterprise Architect, one of the most used modeling tools in the world, supports most modeling languages: UML, Archimate, BPMN, SysML and others. It also keeps traceability of information pieces belonging to different domains, has search capabilities and reports, all of them within an unified user interface.

Differences between editions

Most users prefer Corporate edition, because it adapts to almost all corporate environments at the lowest cost. If you need additional plugins (MDGs), they could be bought individually or you can choose an edition containing the plugins you will use in your modeling projects.

The comparison chart containing the full list of features of all editions could be found in this link.

How many licenses? User or floating?

Licenses are required for every user that needs to edit information. If your working environment includes read-only users, they can use the Lite edition of Enterprise Architect which doesn’t need a purchased license.

User licenses are installed for each user in each computer. You will need one license per user that has Enterprise Architect installed.

Floating licenses are installed in a centralized license repository. You can install Enterprise Architect in as many computers as you want, but you can only have as many users with Enterprise Architect opened as number of floating licenses you have in your license repository. The license management in the long terms becomes easier because you don’t have to create a custom inventory containing which user is using which license number. When your company has employee turnover or you usually update the users laptops or the operative systems, this license type is the best for you.

You can estimate how many licenses and which type you need with the following formula:

In a typical case where all users use Enterprise Architect the 70% of their working hours in different schedules, you only need 70% of licenses compared to the total number of actual users. However, every single case must be analyzed because there could be some particular scenarios with special conditions not fitting the previous formula.

When do my new licenses expire? And what about the updates?

When you buy licenses the first time, you receive:

♦ One license code per license bought, regardless your licenses are user or floating or the selected edition. These license codes are for perpetual use.

♦ A user and a password to download installers, valid for 12 months.

♦ Direct support with Sparx Systems in English, from Australia, via email, for 12 months.

After 12 months of your initial purchase, the user and password for downloads will become invalid, but you could use your licenses forever. If you need a new user and password to keep on downloading new versions of Enterprise Architect, you can buy the “Subscription renewal” service for 12 extra months. If you prefer not to renew, you could keep on using Enterprise Architect in the last version number you have downloaded.