Enterprise Architecture: Practical Guide to Logical ...

1 Objecteering Practical Guides Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture Author: Softeam Consulting Team Supervised by Philippe Desfray Version: Copyright: Softeam Softeam 21 avenue Victor Hugo 75016 Paris Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture Introduction to Practical Guides This set of Practical Guides is the result of hands-on experience gained by Softeam consultants. Each Guide is designed to facilitate model construction and to help you get the most out of the Objecteering tool in a given context.

2 The Practical guides are deliberately short, since the aim is to provide essential Practical information in just a few pages. The Softeam consulting team ( ) is at your service to help you with Enterprise architecture definition, business process and software architecture modeling, SOA, and to provide any other assistance you may need in your IT projects. In partnership with Objecteering Software, a consulting/tool package is available. Find out more at or At , you can download the following user-friendly and unlimited tools completely free of charge: Objecteering NEXT UML Free Edition for UML modeling Objecteering NEXT SOA Free Edition for business modeling: Enterprise architecture , BPM, SOA Logical architecture , software architecture .

3 At , you can also evaluate and purchase Objecteering Enterprise Edition, and discover the full functional richness of this tool: teamwork support, goal analysis, dictionary definition, requirements analysis, code generation, documentation generation throughout the entire project lifecycle, and so on. The Practical Guides currently available are as follows: Practical Use Case Guide Practical Business Process Guide Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture Practical Company Organization Modeling Guide Other Practical guides will be available soon.

4 Please check our website for details. Copyright Softeam 2008. 21 avenue Victor Hugo, 75016 Paris Page 2/16. Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture What is information system Logical architecture ? Logical architecture addresses the information system seen macroscopically, by focusing on its main components, their interconnections and the flows exchanged, and by structuring them by group into larger-scale modules. One activity in the field of Enterprise architecture is organizing the progressive and continual transformation of the information system, in the aim of simplifying it, optimizing its added value and making it more reactive and more flexible with regard to the company's strategic evolutions, based on the technological opportunities in the marketplace.

5 The information system map provides an overview of the information system's components. This will result in a consistent, stable and modular context to which different participants can refer in order to make all decisions regarding investment in the information system. Through IS maps, existing application cartography is represented, as well as the target, in other words, the architecture expected after the programmed evolution of the information system. Furthermore, Logical architecture supported by Objecteering SOA Solution enables the representation of ideal architecture , based on the architectural principles of service oriented architectures (SOA).

6 In this way, we can represent what already exists, by cataloguing application components that do not generally follow any particular overall architectural form, and we can model the target using an SOA approach or adopting a hybrid approach based on this approach. Copyright Softeam 2008. 21 avenue Victor Hugo, 75016 Paris Page 3/16. Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture When and how to articulate a Logical architecture model Figure 1 Different models for the company and its information system Figure 1 shows the positioning of the Logical and functional architecture model with regard to the other models and work that surround an information system.

7 Each of these models has a dedicated Guide (see the Practical Organization Model Guide ). Functional or Logical architecture determines the components of the information system that are necessary to the functioning of the company. The Logical /functional architecture model is established when the aim is to understand, document, adapt or improve the organization of the information system. Typically, it is used to build a common understanding of the information system through a general map, and to define the target for information system evolutions through the representation of future desired architecture .

8 Ideal Logical architecture is independent of technology. However, technical indications can be added to define the technologies used or retained for each component. An ideal and theoretical scenario determines the following sequence: 1. Build the business model (for Practical advice, see semantic aspect guides). 2. Build the organization model (see the Practical Organization Model Guide ). 3. Map and urbanize (in other words, organize and make coherent) the information system. 4. Build the Logical architecture of the target. 5. Realize, acquire and assemble the application components.

9 Steps 3 and 4 can be undertaken simultaneously, even if the earlier models are absent. Copyright Softeam 2008. 21 avenue Victor Hugo, 75016 Paris Page 4/16. Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture Finally, the software realization stages are reached, where IT services will implement UML. models focused on the information system and its realization, in accordance with the target Logical architecture . Copyright Softeam 2008. 21 avenue Victor Hugo, 75016 Paris Page 5/16. Enterprise architecture : Practical Guide to Logical architecture Best practices Getting started with Objecteering SOA Solution Objecteering SOA Solution is used to model urbanization and Logical architecture .

10 In the explorer, select the "Create Logical architecture " button to create the root of the organization model. For this element, the palette contains the organization elements that can be created. Figure 2 Starting the organization model with Objecteering SOA Solution We recommend that three different Logical models (typically three roots in one Objecteering project) be built to realize: the cartography of what already exists the urbanization of the target the Logical architecture The component composition and assembly technique already presented enables different occurrences (instances) of an element to be presented (component, quarters, application, ) in different models.