Exploration and Dependencies¶

Mercator provides two complementary tools for navigating the map:

Exploration — displays a free-form graph around an asset: clicking a node in the graph reveals all objects connected to it (physically or logically) along with all incoming and outgoing flows.
Dependencies — imposes a layered structure (upstream → downstream) starting from a selected asset.

These tools allow you to navigate dynamically through the graph of relationships between assets. They reveal dependencies across layers: upward (abstract / business) or downward (concrete / physical).

Hierarchical views are available in both cases: starting from a macro-process, you can visualise all the processes, activities and operations that depend on it; or starting from a site, all the rooms and equipment it contains.

Exploration¶

The Exploration tool (Tools ➡️ Exploration) displays a relational graph with no imposed hierarchy.
Nodes are positioned by a physics engine (attraction / repulsion), which allows you to:

freely explore relationships
identify clusters
navigate complex dependencies
visualise the full graph around an asset

This mode is ideal for intuitive exploration.

🔍 See also the interface overview

Dependencies¶

The Dependencies tool (Tools ➡️ Dependencies) imposes a layered structure (upstream → downstream).
Dependencies are directed and organised by level, which allows you to:

quickly understand data flows
analyse upstream or downstream dependencies
document an architecture
clarify complex relationships

This mode is ideal for structured analysis.

🔍 See also interface overview

Interfaces¶

Description of the Exploration and Dependencies interfaces.

UI Element	Type	🕸️ Exploration	⟁ Dependencies	Role
Filter	Dropdown list	✅	✅	Filters on map views (e.g. `Applications`)
Attributes	Dropdown list	✅	✅	Filters on asset attributes (e.g. `Opensource`)
Object	Dropdown list	✅	✅	Selects the asset to explore (e.g. `HR-Solution`)
Add	Green button	✅		Adds the selected asset to the graph window
Physical	Green toggle	✅		Enables/disables display of physical network links
Level (1–5)	Numeric picker	✅	✅	Number of relationship levels to expand
Deploy	Green button	✅		Launches exploration with the defined parameters
Analyze	Green button		✅	Launches dependency analysis with the defined parameters
↑ Up	Cyan button	✅	✅	Expands toward upper layers (abstract / business)
↓ Down	Cyan button	✅	✅	Expands toward lower layers (concrete / physical)
↕ Both	Cyan button	✅	✅	Expands in both directions simultaneously
Remove	Red button	✅		Removes the selected asset from the graph
Reset	Yellow button	✅	✅	Completely resets the graph
Show IP	Grey button	✅		Displays IP addresses on network assets

Filter¶

⚠️ Critical point: the Filter field has a dual effect that is essential to understand before using these tools.

This is the most intuitive use. By selecting a view in the Filter field (e.g. Applications), the "Object" dropdown only shows assets belonging to that view. This avoids searching for an asset across the entire CMDB.

Effect 2 — Limiting Asset Visibility in the Graph (common pitfall)¶

This is the least expected effect, and the most frequent source of errors. The filter does not simply restrict the "Object" list: it also controls which asset types will appear in the graph during exploration.

Concretely: if you select a logical-server with only Logical Infrastructure in the filter, applications linked to that server will never appear in the graph, even if they exist in Mercator and are correctly associated. They are simply excluded because their type is not covered by the active filter.

Illustrated example:

Active filter	Explored asset	Result in the graph
`Logical Infrastructure`	`LOGICAL-SERVER-HR-11`	Visible: `NETWORK-CORE-11`, `SUBNET-CORE-11`, `SUBNET-VIRT-111` — but not `HR-Solution`
`Applications` + `Logical Infrastructure`	`LOGICAL-SERVER-HR-11`	Also visible: `HR-Solution` and `DB-HR-PROD`
(empty)	Any asset	All linked assets are visible, across all layers

Filter	🕸️ Exploration	⟁ Dependencies
`Logical Infrastructure` only: HR-Solution does not appear.
`Applications` + `Logical Infrastructure`: HR-Solution and DB-HR-PROD appear.

Practical Rule: Which Filter to Choose?¶

Goal	Recommended filter
Quickly find an asset within a specific view	Enter only the target view (e.g. `Applications`)
Cross-layer exploration or analysis (application + infrastructure)	Enter all relevant views, or leave empty
Full impact analysis (all layers)	Leave the filter empty to exclude nothing
Exploration or analysis limited to a single layer (e.g. network only)	Enter only that layer's view

💡 Tips: - When in doubt, always start with an empty filter. You can narrow it down afterwards if the graph becomes too dense. - Trick: use the filter to easily locate the asset in the list, add it to the graph, then clear the filter before clicking 🕸️ Deploy or ⟁ Analyze — assets from all layers will then be visible. - You can also type the beginning of an asset name directly in the "Object" field to filter without using the Filter field.

Direction¶

The direction of dependency analysis is relative to the Mercator view hierarchy. This hierarchy is aligned with ArchiMate:

↑ UP    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════  toward 100 (Business)
         Layer 1 : Entities, Processes, Actors  (100–260)
         Layer 2 : Applications, Modules, DBs   (300–340)
         Layer 3 : IAM, Active Directory         (400–460)
         Layer 4 : Networks, VMs, Containers     (500–580)
         Layer 5 : Physical, Sites, Racks         (600–675)
↓ DOWN  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════  toward 675 (Physical)

The directional buttons work as follows:

Button	Direction	Meaning	Example from `HR-Solution`
↑ Up	Toward upper layers	Goes up toward the business layer: processes and actors that use this asset	`Application → HR Process → HR Director actors`
↓ Down	Toward lower layers	Goes down toward infrastructure: servers and networks that support this asset	`Application → VM → Physical server → Rack → Site`
↕ Both	Bidirectional	Complete view: who uses this asset AND what it relies on	`Process ← Application → Server → Physical`

Usage¶

Step-by-step usage instructions.

Exploration¶

Step 1 ─ Enter a filter (optional)
         └─ "Filter" field: e.g. "Applications"
            Restricts the object list to a specific view
            ⚠️ See Filter section: the filter also limits which assets appear in the graph

Step 2 ─ Select the starting asset
         └─ "Object" dropdown: e.g. "HR-Solution"

Step 3 ─ Add the asset to the graph
         └─ Click the green "Add" button
            The asset appears in the graph window

Step 4 ─ Select the asset in the graph
         └─ Click the asset icon in the graph area
            (it must be active / selected)

Step 5 ─ Choose the direction
         └─ Click: ↑ Up  |  ↓ Down  |  ↕ Both

Step 6 ─ Set the number of levels
         └─ Numeric picker: 1 to 5
            Start with 1 or 2 for highly connected assets

Step 7 ─ Deploy
         └─ Click the green "Deploy" button
            The graph builds with the relationships found

Step 8 ─ Iterate (optional)
         └─ Click another node in the graph
            Repeat from step 4

Dependencies¶

Step 1 ─ Enter a filter (optional)
         └─ "Filter" field: e.g. "Applications"
            ⚠️ See Filter section: the filter also limits which assets appear in the graph

Step 2 ─ Select the starting asset
         └─ "Object" dropdown: e.g. "HR-Solution"

Step 3 ─ Choose the direction
         └─ Click: ↑ Up  |  ↓ Down  |  ↕ Both

Step 4 ─ Set the number of levels
         └─ Numeric picker: 1 to 5
            Start with 1 or 2 for highly connected assets

Step 5 ─ Analyze
         └─ Click the green "Analyze" button
            The layered graph builds with the dependencies found
            (no need to select an asset in the graph)

💡 Dependencies mode has no "Add" button: the starting asset is selected directly from the "Object" dropdown.

Examples¶

Business Impact of an Application¶

Context: Which business processes and actors depend on HR-Solution?

Parameter	Value
Filter	`Applications`
Object	`HR-Solution`
Direction	↑ Up
Levels	`3`

The Applications filter is sufficient here since the ↑ Up navigation stays within the business layer (processes, actors), which is covered by this view.

Expected result:

HR-Solution
 └── APPLI-HR-MOD-1 (module)
      └── HR Management Process
           └── Actor: HR Director

You get the full list of processes and actors that functionally depend on this application.

Infrastructure Supporting an Application¶

Context: What physical hardware does HR-Solution run on? (BCP, ITIL impact analysis, CMDB)

Parameter	Value
Filter	`Applications` + `Logical Infrastructure` + `Physical Infrastructure` (or empty)
Object	`HR-Solution`
Direction	↓ Down
Levels	`3`

An Applications-only filter would exclude servers and racks from the graph. All traversed layers must be included, or the filter left empty.

Expected result:

HR-Solution
 ├── APPLI-HR-SRV-1 (application service)
 └── DB-HR-PROD (database)
      └── VM-APP-HR-01 (logical server)
           └── SRV-PROD-01 (physical server)
                └── RACK-A3 (rack)
                     └── Site DC-Paris

You get the complete chain from the application down to the physical site.

Full Impact Analysis (Before Maintenance / Incident)¶

Context: Complete view of ALL dependencies of HR-Solution before a maintenance window.

Parameter	Value
Filter	(empty)
Object	`HR-Solution`
Direction	↕ Both
Levels	`3`

The filter must be empty so that all layers (business, application, physical infrastructure) are simultaneously visible in the graph.

Expected result:

         Macro-process: Personnel Management
              └── HR Process → HR Director actor
                       ↑
              [HR-Solution]  ← central asset
                       ↓
         APPLI-HR-SRV-1 · APPLI-HR-MOD-1 · DB-HR-PROD
              └── Logical servers → Physical → Racks → Site

Ideal for architecture dossiers and impact analyses.

Choosing the Direction by Use Case¶

Use case	Direction	Layers traversed
Who uses this application?	↑ Up	Application → Processes → Actors
What does this server run on?	↓ Down	Logical server → Physical → Rack → Site
Full impact analysis	↕ Both	Business ↔ Application ↔ Infrastructure
Which processes depend on a database?	↑ Up	Database → Application → Processes
Which network equipment is under a VLAN?	↓ Down	VLAN → Switch → Physical router
Map an AD domain	↕ Both	AD Forest → Domain → Admin Zone → Servers
Which assets does an actor use?	↓ Down	Actor → Process → Application → Infrastructure

Mapping¶

Mercator Asset	BPMN 2.0	ArchiMate 3.1	TOGAF
`entities` (100)	Pool / Lane	Business Actor	Organizational Unit
`macro-processes` (200)	Process (level 1)	Business Process	Business Function
`processes` (210)	Sub-Process	Business Process	Business Service
`activities` (220)	Task / Activity	Business Function	Business Function
`tasks` (240)	Task (atomic)	Business Interaction	—
`actors` (250)	Lane / Performer	Business Role	Business Actor
`information` (260)	Data Object	Business Object	Data Entity
`applications` (310)	—	Application Component	Application Component
`application-services` (320)	—	Application Service	Application Service
`databases` (340)	Data Store	Data Object	Data Store
`logical-servers` (580)	—	System Software	Platform Service
`sites` (600)	—	Location	Geography
`physical-servers` (615)	—	Device	Technology Component

ArchiMate Relations in Mercator¶

ArchiMate Relation	Direction 🕸️ ⟁	Mercator Example
Serving	↑ Up	Application Service serves a Business Process
Realization	↕ Both	Application realizes a Business Service
Assignment	↓ Down	Logical Server assigned to Physical Server
Composition	↓ Down	Site contains Buildings contains Racks
Association	↕ Both	Application associated with Database

Best Practices¶

Tool Recommendations¶

Start at level 1 or 2
For highly connected assets (e.g. a central application), starting at 1 or 2 levels prevents an unreadable graph. Increase progressively from there.

Use the filter with care
As explained in the Filter section, the filter controls not only the list of available objects but also the assets visible in the graph. For cross-layer exploration or analysis, include all relevant views or leave the filter empty.

"Physical" Toggle (Exploration mode only)
This toggle, available only in 🕸️ Exploration mode, enables or disables the display of physical network links (WAN/LAN/MAN). When disabled, exploration stays at the logical level. It does not constitute a third visualisation mode.

Asset Entry Recommendations¶

Follow Mercator's numbering: create physical layer assets (600+) before associating them with logical layers.
Physical containment relationships must be entered in order: Site → Building → Bay → Physical Server.
A logical-server (VM) must always be linked to a physical-server for ↓ Down navigation to work correctly.
certificates (570) are cross-layer: associate them with both applications AND logical servers for complete exploration or analysis.
external-connected-entities (540) can be attached to the business layer (partners) or the network layer (connections) depending on context.

Use Cases by User Profile¶

Profile	Preferred direction	Typical use case
Enterprise Architect	↑ Up	Trace alignment between infrastructure and business processes
Infrastructure Architect	↓ Down	Identify the physical chain supporting an application
CISO / Risk Manager	↕ Both	Map dependencies for risk analysis
CMDB Manager	↓ Down	Verify completeness of physical chaining
Crisis Manager / BCP	↕ Both	Impact analysis before/after an incident

Exploration and Dependencies¶

Exploration¶

Dependencies¶

Interfaces¶

Filter¶

Effect 1 — Restricting the "Object" Dropdown¶

Effect 2 — Limiting Asset Visibility in the Graph (common pitfall)¶

Practical Rule: Which Filter to Choose?¶

Direction¶

Usage¶

Exploration¶

Dependencies¶

Examples¶

Business Impact of an Application¶

Infrastructure Supporting an Application¶

Full Impact Analysis (Before Maintenance / Incident)¶

Choosing the Direction by Use Case¶

Mapping¶

ArchiMate Relations in Mercator¶

Best Practices¶

Tool Recommendations¶

Asset Entry Recommendations¶

Use Cases by User Profile¶