Metis (software)
Metis is a family of client and server products for creating, visualizing, changing, sharing and managing visual enterprise models. It was originally created by a Norwegian company named Metis AS, which was bought by Digital Equipment Corporation. Metis was then sold to AT&T. After the AT&T/NCR split in 1996, Metis became a part of NCR. In 2001 the Metis group and product was sold to Computas AS. In 2004 Computas AS was split into two: Computas, and Computas Technology. In 2005 Computas Technology was merged with Troux Technologies, an Austin, Texas-based firm, which now holds the rights to the product.
In addition to providing general modeling mechanisms and primitives, Metis doesn't restrict the modeling to one particular methodology. It provides the opportunity for developing in several modeling languages and comes with built-in templates for UML, BPM, EEML, GEM, I*, MEML-2 and Misuse, together with an option to merge these so that one can benefit from the strongest aspects of each language.
Metis supports sub-modeling, which makes it convenient to develop partial models in teams. These models can then later be merged. Metis has functionality for web-supported distributed development by providing support for working towards a fileserver.
Metis runs on the Windows platform and is built on open web standards such as XML, URI, HTTP, SOAP, SVG and UNICODE.
Metis incorporates functions for analyzing models and for accessing data outside of the model. For example:
- Searching for information in an enterprise that satisfies simple or complex criteria.
- Creation of multiple views to a model for addressing different audiences or areas.
- Navigation of a model, such as zooming into containers.
- Performing methods such as calculations.
- Linking a model to external data.
- Exchanging data with other application.