2a - Zachman Framework Flashcards
How many versions of the Zachman Framework exist, and when were they published?
3 versions:
1987
1992, Sowa & Zachman
2008, via his website
What are the 2 main views of EA (Zachman vs. Jeanne Ross)
Zachman views EA as a modeling “tool”.
Ross views EA as the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure, reflecting the integration & standardization requirements of the company’s operating model.
What is a model?
An artifact, mostly diagrams / visual descriptions of an enterprise.
But can also be tables, lists etc.
What does the EA Framework state?
What “artifacts” of “types of artifacts” should be created, and (sometimes) in what order, and (sometimes) by whom.
Does the ZF suggest/prescribe artifacts?
No, it specifies what TYPES of models should exist
What is the goal of the ZF?
To have a complete picture of an enterprise or IT organization (but every cell has to be populated).
What is the difference between the ZF-versions of 1987 & 1992 vs. 2008?
1987 & 1992: transformation from an Information System -> IS architecture
2008: transformation from an organization -> enterprise architecture, because systems are not only information systems.
Name 2 main benefits of the ZF.
1 - Organizing the current artifacts
2 - Predicting the need for unknown artifacts
The Zachman framework describes a taxonomy using a 2-dimensional organization. What are they?
- The different players in the game. Each demands different definitions of ‘completeness’.
- The descriptive focus of the artifact: the 6 questions.
Explain the Data: planner artifact (view)
Goal: what data are used in an enterprise?
Result: a list of import data for business, data entities.
Explain the Data: owner view
This is the conceptual data model; it shows (visually) what the relationships are between the data entities. Also listst (some of the) attributes. It is design-independent.
Explain the Data: designer view
This is the logical data model, which cannot show any N-N relationships. Here the primary keys & foreign keys are specified. It is technology-independent.
Explain the Data: builder (data engineer) view
Here you add data types, default values, domain etc. for the target technology (number, varchar). Therefore, it is technology-dependent (Oracle etc…)
Explain the data: developer view
Here the previous results are translated to SQL queries for creating the tables (entities) and its relationships.
Explain the how: function enterprise (users) view
What application users see: graphical interface (GUI). Executable files/apps.
Explain the how: planner view
Goal: what functions do we provide in our enterprise.
Result: a list of important functions for business
Like use cases, or processes
Explain the how: owner view
This is the business use case diagram (UML). It shows functions and their business users. Also, creating a business activity diagram per process.
Explain include vs. extend in a business use case diagram.
Include: one use case describes some of the detail of another.
Extend: shows that one use case may add functionality to another use case (under certain circumstances).
Explain the how: designer view
System use case diagram; very similar to the owner view, but now based on the system.
Explain the how: builder/engineer view
Visualize what is going on in a program (sort of like low-code)
Explain the how: developer (subcontractor) view
Programming the actual use case, based on the visualization, in a certain language.
Explain the where: users view
What network users see
Explain the where: planner view
List of important locations in which the business operates.
Explain the where: owner view
Operational node connectivity. Showing nodes (locations) and needlines (need for exchanging resources)
Explain the where: designer view
Systems resource flow description.
What are the 3 results from the article by Kappelmann and Zachman in 2013?
1) EA is about the architecture of the entire enterprise, including ITs
2) They describe an ontology for the information needed to holistically define and represent that architecture
3) This raises significant challenges for IS professionals, educators, and researchers.
