Solution architecture
Encyclopedia
Solution architecture in enterprise architecture
is a kind of architecture domain
, that aims to address specific problems and requirements, usually through the design of specific information systems or applications.
Solution architecture is either:
The documentation is typically divided into broad views, each known as an architecture domain
.
Solution architecture is related to enterprise architecture
. The solution described may be all or part of what an enterprise architect's migration plan delivers. The solution might be unrelated to any such plan. Solution architecture often leads to software architecture
work and technical architecture
work, and often contains elements of those.
An instance of a solution architecture will typically be an abstraction
of an end-to-end
subsystem, consisting of application software
supported by middleware
which together provide:
e.g. an end-to-end eCommerce subsystem which allows customers to place orders for goods and services or an end-to-end Supply Replenishment subsystem which enables an enterprise to order new stock from its suppliers
A solutions architect
is often but not always focused on technical architecture
and the meeting of non-functional requirements, often in the context of deploying specific applications.
Enterprise architecture
An enterprise architecture is a rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, which comprises enterprise components , the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships between them...
is a kind of architecture domain
Architecture domain
An architecture domain in enterprise architecture is a broad view of an enterprise or system. It is a partial representation of a whole system that addresses several concerns of several stakeholders...
, that aims to address specific problems and requirements, usually through the design of specific information systems or applications.
Solution architecture is either:
- Documentation describing the structure and behaviour of a solution to a problem, or
- A process for describing a solution and the work to deliver it.
The documentation is typically divided into broad views, each known as an architecture domain
Architecture domain
An architecture domain in enterprise architecture is a broad view of an enterprise or system. It is a partial representation of a whole system that addresses several concerns of several stakeholders...
.
Solution architecture is related to enterprise architecture
Enterprise architecture
An enterprise architecture is a rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, which comprises enterprise components , the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships between them...
. The solution described may be all or part of what an enterprise architect's migration plan delivers. The solution might be unrelated to any such plan. Solution architecture often leads to software architecture
Software architecture
The software architecture of a system is the set of structures needed to reason about the system, which comprise software elements, relations among them, and properties of both...
work and technical architecture
Technical architecture
Technical architecture is one of several architecture domains that form the pillars of an enterprise architecture or solution architecture. It describes the structure and behaviour of the technology infrastructure of an enterprise, solution or system...
work, and often contains elements of those.
An instance of a solution architecture will typically be an abstraction
Abstraction
Abstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods....
of an end-to-end
End-to-end
End-to-end or End to End may refer to:*Land's End to John o'Groats, the journey from "End to End" across Great Britain*End-to-end auditable voting systems, a voting system*End-to-end principle, a principal design element of the Internet...
subsystem, consisting of application software
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
supported by middleware
Middleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
which together provide:
- An IT implementation of a specific business task or process necessary to support a business function with appropriate non-functional requirements (e.g. integrity, performance, security, recoverability, etc.)
- A synchronization mechanism between the subsystem consumers/providers and the associated business task or process
e.g. an end-to-end eCommerce subsystem which allows customers to place orders for goods and services or an end-to-end Supply Replenishment subsystem which enables an enterprise to order new stock from its suppliers
A solutions architect
Solutions Architect
A Solutions Architect in Enterprise Architecture is a practitioner in the field of Solution Architecture.The role title has a wider meaning in relation to solving problems, but is more often used in the narrower domain of Technical architecture - the context for the remainder of this definition...
is often but not always focused on technical architecture
Technical architecture
Technical architecture is one of several architecture domains that form the pillars of an enterprise architecture or solution architecture. It describes the structure and behaviour of the technology infrastructure of an enterprise, solution or system...
and the meeting of non-functional requirements, often in the context of deploying specific applications.