Enterprise Architecture as Business Strategy
Lecture 1 – 29/01/17
Part 1: Introduction
“What is Information Technology?”
Information Technology (IT) has 6 different components:
▪ Hardware
▪ Software
▪ Data
▪ Network
▪ Procedures
▪ People
Part 2: History of IT Architecting
“What is a Flowchart?”
A Flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm, workflow or process, showing the steps as
boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting them with arrows. This diagrammatic representation
illustrates a solution model to a given problem. Flowcharts are used in analyzing, designing, documenting
or managing a process or program to visualize what is going on (user view, programmer view and designer
view).
A flowchart can be derived from programming language or transformed into programming languages. It
is considered a symbolic representation of a phenomenon, a visual language and a diagram for improving
communication and understanding.
“What is a Database?”
A Database often contains heterogeneous data from different sources. There are different database
models:
▪ Physical model (database engineers, technology dependent, physical model)
▪ Logical data model (database designers, technology independent, relational model)
o Includes relations, attributes, primary key’s and foreign key’s
▪ Primary Key is unique and cannot be left blank
▪ Foreign key is connected to another table via a relationship
• One-to-one: A record in one table is an attribute of another table
• One-to-many/many-to-one: A record in one table can be multiple records
in another table
• Many-to-many: Many records can represent many records in another
table, often defined by a separate table.
▪ Conceptual data model (business analysts, design independent, entity relationship model)
o Includes entities, attributes, relationships, identifiers, composite attributes, multi-valued
attributes and calculated attributes
,“You start off with modeling the ER model and continue until you have a properly Functioning Database.”
A method to read a database is Structured Query Language. SQL is a standard language to formulate
queries. Queries are commands which describe what data can be extracted from tables in a database.
There are three types of SQL-software: client software, server software, and database software.
“What is Unified Modelling Language?”
The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is a general-purpose, developmental, modeling language in the
field of software engineering that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system.
It focuses on a number of diagrams:
▪ Use-case diagram
▪ Activity diagram
▪ Sequence Diagram
▪ Class Diagram
▪ Component diagram
▪ Deployment diagram
“The purpose of these diagrams is to visualize what is going
on in the software applications of an enterprise.” Example of a Use-case Diagram
In order to use these diagrams properly, you should understand the Use-case Diagram Notations.
,As stated above, UML consists of more
diagrams such as the Activity Diagram. This
diagram models the activities that are
executed by different actors within a certain
scenario according to a specified time path
(Activity Diagram Notations can be found
within the summary of BPI).
“System Diagrams versus Business Diagrams”
Simply stated, System Diagrams are about the
systems while Business Diagrams are about
the business. As a result, the Use-case
diagrams, activity diagrams etc. will also differ.
This difference is abstraction.
As you can see in the picture, within the
Business Use-case Diagram, physical activities
(baking a pizza) are included. This would have
never been the case with a System Use-case
Diagram. Example of a Business Use-case
Example of a Business Activity Diagram
As you can see within the above picture, not only system roles are included. Within a Business Activity
Diagram, also business roles are defined and integrated.
“What is a CRUD Matrix?”
Within a CRUD Matrix, processes and data meet. The operations included within this matrix are Create,
Read, Update and Delete. It is seen as a way to connect:
, ▪ System use-case (or
activity) diagram and
relational model (logical
data model)
▪ Business use-case (or
activity) diagram and
entity-relationship model
(conceptual data model)
“A CRUD matrix is a very useful way to capture and display activities and permissions within a system.”
Part 3: Zachman Framework
“What is the Zachman Framework?”
The Zachman Framework is used to get a complete picture of the IT or the enterprise. It focuses on what
is going on in the IT organization (IS Architecture) and in an Organization (Enterprise Architecture). In
order to understand and communicate these items, we need diagrams and matrices.
The framework provides a systematic taxonomy of concepts for relating things in the world to
representations on the computer. It is not a replacement for other programming tools, techniques, or
methodologies. Instead, it provides a way of viewing a system from many different perspectives and
showing how they are all related.
The Zachman Framework consists of different Columns (What, How, Where, Who, When and Why), and
Rows (Scope, Enterprise model, System model, Technology model and Components).
“What are the rules of the framework?”
▪ Columns have no order (or you turn the framework to methodology).
▪ Each column has a simple, basic model.
▪ The basic model of a column must be unique.
▪ Each row represents a distinct unique perspective.
▪ Each cell is unique.
▪ The total of all cells in one row is a complete model for that actor.
▪ The framework logic can be used to describe any creation/building.
“What are the main components of an Enterprise Architecture?”
The Key Components of any Enterprise Architecture are:
▪ As-is: the current state assessment of the organization.
▪ To-be: The future state and, generally, the focus of an EA assignment.
▪ Migration plane: without a viable route from as-is to to-be, the architecture has already failed.
▪ Principles: The guidelines for users of the architecture, such as ‘buy not build’ or ‘adherence to
published data standard’.
▪ Decision log: Started during the development of the EA but a key part of the living architecture.
