A TOOL INTEGRATION WORKBENCH FOR ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE - Integrating heterogeneous models and tools

Abstract

Enterprise architecture incorporates the specification of relations between different domains, each speaking its own languages and using its own tools. As a consequence, the enterprise architecture asks for the integration of existing modelling tools. This integration has both technical and conceptual aspects. On a technical level, models in different formats managed by dedicated tools need to be related. On a conceptual level, models are expressed in different modelling languages or conceptual schemas, making the integration of these models complex. In this paper we present the design of a workbench for enterprise architecture that serves as a tool integration environment and a modelling tool at the same time: it supports both technical integration of existing modelling tools and conceptual integration of modelling schemas. The workbench is a viewpoint-driven environment that provides the means to bring together and elaborate upon existing heterogeneous content, as well as to break down existing content into more specific content managed by dedicated tools. This viewpoint-driven environment serves as a starting point for report generation for stakeholders more remote to the architecture design process. Moreover, re-use of architectural assets is supported in straightforward manner by a transparent disclosure of existing design artefacts in one integrated environment.