Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

A

• Access Relationship: Models the ability of behavior and active structure elements to observe or act upon passive structure elements.
• Active Structure Element: An entity capable of performing behavior.
• Aggregation Relationship: Indicates that an element groups or combines a number of other concepts.
• Application Collaboration: An aggregate of two or more application internal active structure elements that work together to perform collective application behavior.
• Application Component: An encapsulation of application functionality aligned to implementation structure, which is modular and replaceable.
• Application Event: An application behavior element that denotes a state change.
• Application Function: Automated behavior that can be performed by an application component.
• Application Interface: A point of access where application services are made available to a user, another application component, or a node.
• Application Interaction: A unit of collective application behavior performed by a collaboration of two or more application components.
• Application Process: A sequence of application behaviors that achieves a specific result.
• Application Service: An explicitly defined exposed application behavior.
• ArchiMate Core Framework: A reference structure used to classify elements of the ArchiMate core language, consisting of three layers and three aspects.
• ArchiMate Core Language: The central part of the ArchiMate language defining concepts for three layers: Business, Application, and Technology.
• Architecture View: A representation of a system from the perspective of a related set of concerns.
• Architecture Viewpoint: A specification of the conventions for a particular kind of architecture view.
• Artifact: A piece of data used or produced in a software development process or by deployment and operation of a system.
• Aspect: Classification of elements based on layer-independent characteristics related to the concerns of different stakeholders.
• Assessment: The result of an analysis of the state of affairs of the enterprise with respect to some driver.
• Assignment Relationship: Expresses the allocation of responsibility, performance of behavior, storage, or execution.
• Association Relationship: Models an unspecified relationship or one not represented by another specific ArchiMate relationship.
• Attribute: A property associated with an ArchiMate language element or relationship.

B

• Behavior Element: Represents the dynamic aspects of the enterprise.
• Business Actor: A business entity that is capable of performing behavior.
• Business Collaboration: An aggregate of two or more business internal active structure elements that work together to perform collective behavior.
• Business Event: A business behavior element that denotes an organizational state change.
• Business Function: A collection of business behavior based on chosen criteria, managed or implemented as a whole.
• Business Interaction: A unit of collective business behavior performed by a collaboration of multiple business active structure elements.
• Business Interface: A point of access where business services are made available to the environment.
• Business Object: A concept used within a particular business domain to represent information or physical objects.
• Business Process: A sequence of business behaviors that achieves a specific result or outcome.
• Business Role: The responsibility for performing specific behavior to which an actor can be assigned.
• Business Service: An explicitly defined behavior exposed by a business role, actor, or collaboration to its environment.

C

• Capability: An ability that an active structure element, such as an organization or system, possesses.
• Communication Network: A set of structures that connects devices or system software for transmission and routing of data.
• Composite Element: An element consisting of other concepts, possibly from multiple aspects or layers.
• Composition Relationship: Indicates that an element consists of one or more other concepts; representing a “whole-part” link.
• Concept: An element, a relationship, or a relationship connector.
• Conformance: Fulfillment of specified requirements.
• Constraint: A limitation on aspects of the architecture or a factor that prevents the realization of goals.
• Core Element: A structure or behavior element in one of the three core layers.
• Course of Action: An approach or plan for configuring capabilities and resources to achieve a goal.

D

• Data Object: Data structured for automated processing.
• Deliverable: A precisely defined outcome or result of a work package.
• Device: A physical IT resource with processing capability upon which system software and artifacts may be stored.
• Distribution Network: A physical network used to transport materials or energy.
• Driver: An external or internal condition that motivates an organization to define goals and implement changes.

E

• Element: The basic unit in the ArchiMate metamodel used to define and describe constituent parts of Enterprise Architectures.
• Equipment: One or more physical machines, tools, or instruments used to create, store, or transform materials.
• Event: A behavior element representing a state change.

F

• Facility: A physical structure or environment that has the capability of housing equipment.
• Flow Relationship: Represents the transfer of information, goods, or value from one element to another.
• Function: A collection of behavior based on specific criteria such as required resources or competencies.

G

• Gap: A statement of difference between two plateaus, usually Baseline and Target Architecture.
• Goal: A high-level statement of intent, direction, or desired end state for an organization.
• Grouping: A composite element aggregating concepts based on a common characteristic.

I

• Implementation Event: A behavior element denoting a state change related to implementation or migration.
• Influence Relationship: Represents that an element affects the implementation or achievement of some motivation element.
• Interaction: A unit of collective behavior performed by two or more internal active structure elements.
• Interface: An external active structure element representing a point of access where one or more services are provided.

J

• Junction: A relationship connector used to connect multiple relationships of the same type (And/Or).

L

• Layer: An abstraction of the ArchiMate framework at which an enterprise can be modeled.
• Location: A place or position where structure elements can be located or behavior can be performed.

M

• Material: Tangible physical matter or energy used or transformed in physical processes.
• Meaning: The knowledge, expertise, or interpretation given to a concept in a particular context.
• Model: A collection of concepts in the context of the ArchiMate language structure.
• Motivation Element: Represents the context of or reason behind the architecture of an enterprise.

N

• Node: A computational or physical resource that hosts, manipulates, or interacts with other resources.

O

• Outcome: An end result, effect, or consequence of a certain state of affairs.

P

• Passive Structure Element: A structural element on which behavior is performed and cannot perform behavior itself.
• Path: A link between two or more nodes through which they can exchange data, energy, or material.
• Plateau: A relatively stable state of the architecture that exists during a limited period of time.
• Principle: A statement of intent defining a general property that applies to any system in a certain context.
• Process: A sequence of behaviors that achieves a specific result or outcome.
• Product: A coherent collection of services and/or passive structure elements offered as a whole to customers.

R

• Realization Relationship: Indicates that a more tangible entity plays a critical role in the achievement or operation of a more abstract entity.
• Relationship: A connection between a source and target concept classified as structural, dependency, dynamic, or other.
• Requirement: A statement of need defining a property that must be met by a specific system.
• Resource: An asset owned or controlled by an individual or organization.

S

• Service: An explicitly defined exposed behavior.
• Serving Relationship: Represents a control dependency where one element provides its functionality to another.
• Specialization Relationship: Indicates that an element is a particular kind of another more general element.
• Stakeholder: The role of an individual or team representing their interests in the outcome of the architecture.
• System Software: Software contributing to an environment for storing, executing, and using software or data deployed within it.

T

• Technology Collaboration: An aggregate of two or more nodes working together to perform collective behavior.
• Technology Event: A technology behavior element that denotes a state change.
• Technology Function: A collection of technology behavior that can be performed by a node.
• Technology Interaction: A unit of collective technology behavior performed by a collaboration of two or more nodes.
• Technology Interface: A point of access where technology services offered by a node can be accessed.
• Technology Process: A sequence of technology behaviors that achieves a specific result.
• Technology Service: An explicitly defined exposed technology behavior realized by technology functions.
• Triggering Relationship: Describes a temporal or causal relationship between behavior elements.

V

• Value: The relative worth, utility, or importance of a concept or outcome.
• Value Stream: A sequence of activities that create an overall result for a stakeholder.

W

• Work Package: A series of actions identified and designed to achieve specific results within specified time and resource constraints.