Location Catalog: Artifact of Business Architecture (Phase B)

What is Location Catalog in TOGAF ADM

The Location Catalog is a database that contains a list of all the places where a company operates or has architecturally significant assets such as data centers and end-user computing equipment. It helps in identifying the scope of a project and assesses the current landscapes or target solutions. For instance, if a project aims to upgrade desktop operating systems, the location catalog will help in identifying all the places where such systems are deployed.

Additionally, when new systems are being implemented, a diagram of locations is essential for developing appropriate deployment strategies that consider user and application location, and identify location-related issues such as internationalization, localization, timezone impacts on availability, distance impacts on latency, network impacts on bandwidth, and access.

The Location catalog consists of a metamodel entity called Location, which describes the properties of a particular location. It can include information such as the location name, address, geographic coordinates, time zone, network connectivity, and other relevant data. By maintaining a definitive list of locations in the catalog, companies can ensure that they have a complete understanding of their operations and assets, which can help in making informed business decisions.

Example

In this example, the Location Catalog includes four locations: the company’s headquarters office, a data center, a regional office, and a manufacturing plant. The table lists information such as the location name, address, geographic coordinates, time zone, and network connectivity. This information can be used for various purposes, such as identifying the scope of a project, assessing current landscapes, or developing appropriate deployment strategies for new systems.

Here’s the example of a Location Catalog in table format:

Summary

The Location Catalog is a valuable resource that contains important information about a company’s various locations, such as addresses, geographic coordinates, time zones, and network connectivity. By maintaining an up-to-date catalog, businesses can identify the scope of a project, assess current landscapes, and develop appropriate deployment strategies for new systems. Ultimately, the Location Catalog is an essential tool for making informed business decisions and ensuring that all operations and assets are well understood.