14.1 The ArchiMate standard

The ArchiMate^a modeling language is dedicated to enterprise architecture modeling. Originally initiated outside of The Open Group and TOGAF, it then joined The Open Group and introduced mappings to TOGAF. ArchiMate often refers to TOGAF when specifying specific terms. ArchiMate is now linked to the evolution of TOGAF and is currently evolving to fit TOGAF more closely.

ArchiMate has a core modeling language, and extensions, such as the “Motivation” extension (goals, objectives, etc.) and the “Implementation and Migration” extensions. ArchiMate, like EAP, proposes predefined viewpoints. These viewpoints, as specified by TOGAF, can be adapted to the context of the enterprise and the focus of the enterprise architecture activity.

ArchiMate structures a model according to the following principles:

• A “Business Architecture” level, which is broken down into the following sublevels:

• Information

• Product

• Process

• Organization

• An “Application Architecture” level, which is broken down into the following sublevels:

• Data

• Application

• A “Technology Architecture” level

ArchiMate therefore uses three top-level TOGAF architecture domains, with data architecture being split between business architecture (Information) and application architecture (Data). The business level handles business information, enterprise organization, business processes, and products. The organization of the model in this book uses the same principle (Figure 14.1).

This structuring is by no means mandatory. The definition of enterprise-specific viewpoints can notably lead to different meanings. For example, we can imagine an additional viewpoint dedicated to system security.

The core language of ArchiMate consists of three main types of elements: active structure elements (business actors, application components, devices, etc.), behavior elements (processes, interactions, use cases, etc.), and passive structure elements (business entities, etc.).

• Active structure elements are entities capable of performing behavior.

• Behavior elements are units of activity performed by one or several active structure elements.

• Passive structure elements are objects on which behavior is performed, such as data.

ArchiMate is strongly focused on the concept of “service,” which is a unit of functionality that a system exposes to its environment.

Besides the core aspects of ArchiMate, there are aspects not explicitly covered by ArchiMate, such as goals, principles and requirements, risk and security, governance, policies and business rules, costs, performance, timing, planning, and evolution.

The “Motivation” extension adds “motivational” concepts such as goals, objectives, principles, requirements, stakeholders, drivers, and assessments.

The “Motivation” extension enables the support of requirements management, the preliminary phase and phase A of TOGAF.

ArchiMate’s “Implementation and Motivation” extension adds concepts to support the later ADM phases, related to the implementation and migration of architecture: phase E (Opportunities and Solutions), phase F (Migration Planning), and phase G (Implementation Governance). The main concepts are “work package,” “deliverable,” and “gap.”

14.2 ArchiMate to EAP correspondence examples

We are now going to present several model examples, taken from the ArchiMate standard, and show how they translate in EAP.

14.2.1 Business layer

EAP distinguishes organization units as a specific kind of actor (Figures 14.2 and 14.3).

By reusing UML, EAP takes advantage of its complete and detailed metamodel. In this example, the deployed occurrences are specific entities within EAP, thus enabling specific properties and values to be allocated to them.

14.2.2 Application layer

Many ArchiMate concepts are inspired by the UML2 standard. EAP directly reused the UML2 definition. As in TOGAF and EAP, the main concept is “Application Component.”

As shown in Figure 14.4, we see in this example that EAP takes advantage of the UML2 deployment facility. EAP benefits from UML assembly mechanisms through ports and connectors.

14.2.3 Technology layer

UML2’s deployment mechanism is very useful at this stage to express, for example, how application components are distributed on execution hardware. ArchiMate reuses the UML2 “Node” concept, but in a simpler, more restricted context (Figures 14.5 and 14.6).

14.3 Detailed mapping

The following table presents Modeliosoft Enterprise Architect Solution's support of the ArchiMate standard.

Please note that wherever there is a discrepancy between names, TOGAF terms have been chosen over ArchiMate terms.

Notations are primarily based on the UML and BPMN standards.

From the examples and this table, we can see that there are many similarities. EAP can be considered as a way to implement ArchiMate by reusing UML and BPMN, or in short as a UML profile for ArchiMate.

ArchiMate Concept	EAP/TOGAF Concept	Comments	Notation
Business Layer
Business actor	Actor	Internal actor and external actor are explained by EAP
Business role	Role
Business collaboration	Business collaboration
Business interface		No real usage identified
Location	Location	Headquarters and sites
Business object	Business entity
Business process	Business process
Business function	Function
Business interaction	Business interaction	UML interaction
Business event	Event
Business service	Business service
Representation		No real usage identified
Meaning	Term	This concept is little developed in ArchiMate, but extensively developed in the Modelio “dictionary”
Value	Value factor on Function
Product	Product
Contract	Service contract	Preconditions, postconditions, invariants
Application Layer
Application component	Application component	Enterprise Architect Solution breaks components down using component typology to facilitate sound SOA structuring
Application collaboration	Application collaboration
Application interface	Required or provided services
Data object	Entity or business entity
Application function		No real usage identified. The notion of “Function” does not seem to be relevant to “Application Architecture,” and does not fit an SOA-oriented approach
Application interaction		UML interaction on collaboration
Application service	Information service
Technical Layer
Node	Node	Generic element
Device	Server, workstation, etc.	More detailed list on EAP
Network	Bus
Communication path	Network link
Infrastructure interface	Port
System software	Utility component
Infrastructure function		No real usage identified
Infrastructure service	IS service
Artifact	Technology artifact
Relationships
Association	Association
Access	Flow
Use by	Consumes	“Consumes” is reserved for actors. For other elements, backward “supports” links
Realization	Component realization	Specialized in Enterprise Architect Solution on components
Assignment	Initiator of; participates in; owner of	Enterprise Architect Solution provides more specialized links
Aggregation	Aggregation
Composition	Composition
Flow	Flow
Triggering	Flow
Grouping		Packages and embedding
Junction		BPMN junction
Specialization	Generalization
Extensions
Language extension mechanisms	Profiles, MDA
Driver, Goal	Goals	Detailed by specific properties and diagrams in Modelio. The distinction between Driver and Goal can be made through different “containers” or by using specific properties
Requirement	Requirement	Detailed by specific properties and diagrams in Modelio
Aggregation	Part
Realization	Satisfies	OMG SysML norm
Influence	Positive influence; negative influence
Aggregation	Aggregation
Deployment		Modeliosoft Enterprise Architect Solution enables application components to be directly deployed on nodes

14.4 Fundamental concepts

The following fundamental concepts were introduced in this chapter:

• ArchiMate: Modeling language dedicated to enterprise architecture modeling; related to TOGAF.