Relationships between assets types

What is a relationship between assets?

A relationship between assets in the metamodel is a structural rule that defines which asset types can be connected, and through which relationship type. It’s the configuration layer that turns your abstract relational vocabulary into concrete organisational modelling rules.

Unlike relationship types, which are purely conceptual, asset-to-asset relationships define the actual constraints and possibilities within your model. They answer the question:

“Which types of assets in my organisation can be connected using this type of relationship?”

Each asset relationship links three core elements:

• a source asset type
• a target asset type
• a relationship type

This triplet defines a modelling rule that guides users when connecting real assets in the system.

Asset relationships act as a set of intelligent constraints that:

• guide users towards consistent modelling
• prevent illogical connections
• shape the space of possibilities in your organisational model
• ensure semantic consistency across diagrams and analyses

Anatomy of a relationship

Each relationship in Boldo has a clear structure that reflects both your modelling intent and organisational logic.

Source asset
This is the type of asset that initiates the relationship. It’s not just a technical setting — it carries semantic weight, helping to clarify the role and meaning of the asset within the organisation.
Choosing a source asset shapes how users interpret flows, hierarchies and dependencies.

Target asset
This is the type of asset on the receiving end of the relationship. It completes the rule by specifying which types of elements the interaction can target.
The selected target asset should reflect the underlying business logic and context.

Relationship type
This defines the nature of the interaction between the two asset types. It must match the conceptual meaning of the relationship and make sense given the types involved.
Together, source → relationship → target forms a business rule for structured modelling.

Examples

Here are some typical examples of asset relationships:

• Application → "enables" → process – applications can enable business processes
• Process → "is part of" → business capability – processes can belong to broader capabilities
• Infrastructure → "transports" → data – infrastructure components can carry data
• Actor → "is responsible for" → application – actors can be responsible for applications

Each rule enables meaningful links (e.g. “CRM enables customer management”) while preventing irrelevant ones.

Managing relationships

Asset relationships are configured in the metamodel admin interface.

Access path:

• Go to organisation settings from the main menu
• Select the metamodel section from the side menu
• Open the assets tab to manage asset types
• Choose a specific asset type
• Use the relationships tab to define its allowed connections

Creating a relationship

1. Click “add relationship” in the relationships tab of your chosen asset type
2. Select the relationship type that represents the intended link
3. Choose the target asset type to connect to

Editing a relationship

1. Select the existing relationship from the list
2. Update the relationship type or target asset as needed

Deleting a relationship

• Click the delete icon next to the relationship
• A warning will appear explaining the impact of deleting it

Best practices

• Start with the essentials – define your organisation’s most frequent and important connections first, then add more specific ones later
• Keep it meaningful – make sure every relationship reflects a real business interaction and aligns with how your organisation actually works