Using Tags to manage your models

The latest version of DecisionsFirst Modeler now supports tagging of objects to support managing multiple projects or perspectives in your DecisionsFirst repository. Tags are just strings beginning with # - #claims or #loans for instance. To tag an object simply type the tag anywhere in the description of an object - you can type it at the end of the description or, if the text of the description already includes the word you want to use, simply add the hashtag in the middle of the sentence - "This is how a tag shows at the end of a paragraph. #tag" and "This is how a #tag can be embedded." both apply the same #tag. Tags can also be used in the titles of objects and diagrams in the same way.

Once objects are tagged you can use the tags in searches:

  • If you search only for a tag, then you will get just those objects tagged with it even if those objects have additional tags.
  • If you search for multiple tags then you will only get objects tagged with all the tags.
  • If you search for a tag or tags and a string then you will get only objects with the tag or tags that also contains the string in its name or description.
  • If you search for a string then it will behave as previously, matching against name or description.

Tags are a powerful way to manage multiple projects in your repository:

  • Each team can agree on a tag for its project
  • The team members can add their tag to any object they need to use in the project - both ones they create and ones they are sharing with other teams
  • Teams can prefix any search they do with their tag to filter the results quickly to their objects, making building diagrams and associating objects quick and easy

Unlike diagram or folder based approaches, tagging recognizes that decision models are highly networked with lots of reuse and allows this to be reflected in the tags applied.

As of DecisionsFirst Modeler version 153, default tags can be set in a user's current session and also as a user default. This feature auto-populates all search fields, filters, and object descriptions with the selected tag.