Is there a Sparx EA best practice method of using a common data model across multiple packages?

Question

I would like to find out if there is a standard or best practice way to maintain and use a centralised set of classes and attributes in Sparx Enterprise Architect (currently using v15 but the business is considering moving to the cloud version).

There is every possibility that what I'm trying to do is impossible but, I'm pretty sure it should be. Thank you in advance.

Goal

I am trying to create a centralised data dictionary containing classes and attributes with their definitions and tags. I would then have domain specific conceptual and logical model diagrams where I would link either classes (with any inherited attributes) or attributes directly into classes I define in the diagrams.

My Current Approach

Within a model I created a package for data dictionary and then other packages for each of the domains (party, product, etc.) that contain both conceptual and logical models. I can drag into a diagram any attribute from the data dictionary package and it works fine, I can even see the definitions in the notes and the tags come across.

Limitations/Problems

1. When I generate documentation for a domain diagram, it does not include any definitions for any of the classes and attributes that reside in the data dictionary package.
2. Documentation aside, my hope was to maintain the definition of an attribute in the data dictionary and for it to be inherited everywhere that attribute is used. It instead, appears to make a duplicate

Answer 1

I'm not sure if it can be called a standard solution, but at some of my clients we solved that issue this way:

Canonical model

At the company wide level we maintain a single large data model using classes, attributes and associations.

Subsets definitions using Schema Composer

We then cherrypick the classes, attributes and associations we need in a certain subset using the Schema Composer tool in EA

Subset generation

From this subset definition in the Schema Composer we use an add-in called EA Message Composer written by myself to create a copy of the selected classes, attributes and associations. The subset is fully traced to the original, and can be re-generated after changing the source model.