The Enterprise Basedline Standards Diagram
Render the Enterprise Baseline Standards Environment with set of Enterprise Baseline Standards DiagramsBaseline is considered as the common culture or environment in the organization. In an Enterprise Architecture, the first thing is to know the common culture. Similar to Enterprise topology, the Enterprise baseline map is design to render the enterprise technology environment. The execitment of seeing the big picture does not last long. It is execiting to see the big picture at the first time. But the technical oriented EA community will not be satified without the Enterprise Technology enviroment.
The Enterprise baseline map describe the Enteprise as-is technology environment. address technical community need with the Baseline map to render the Enterprise Technology environment. EA professional use baseline enviroment to document As-is.
The purpose of Baseline enviroment is to let the stakeholders know the overall technology enviroment rather than technology inventory.
Most of organization document their technology baseline with volumes of documents some organization hide their baseline in the configuration management database. One way or the other it is very difficult to comprehend their
Use Enterprise Technology Baseline map to render Enterprise Technology baseline use the one page approach describ the Enterprise Technology baseline. It includes architecture pattern, the notional enterprise wide architecture design (The plan view), the notional architecture hierachical design (The profile view) and the list of standards in an architecture drawing under the priciple of the sum is greater than the parts. The stakeholders can comprehend the big picture of Enterprise Technology architecture with visual reference from the aspect of architecture pattern, the notional enterprise wide plan view and the notional enterprise profile view.
Illustrate the Enterprise Technology Environment via common architecture patterns
Although an organization use many different technology solution, it nomorly follow certain archtiecture patterns. Instead of trying to write about every technology in a large volume of documents, the Enterprise Technology Baseline map illustrate the organization "as-is" technology environmen by using technology architecture patterns. For example, describe the applicaiton technology in the patterns of main frame, 2 tier, 3 tier and n tier.
The Enterprise Technology Baseline Maps are developed for the technical community to comprehend the Enterprise technology environment.
The term of "baseline" is borrowed from configuration managment. From the wikipidia,
"Generally, a baseline may be a single work product, or set of work products that can be used as a logical basis for comparison. A baseline may also be established (whose work products meet certain criteria) as the basis for subsequent select activities. Such activities may be attributed with formal approval"
The Enterprise Technology baseline map is anlogy to the differet house model in a subdivion development. From which the custmer can see the floor plan, the elevation view and the standard material. It serve servs as the macro standards for applciaiton developers to follow the technology standards. Traditional EA approach use a long list of standard profle to disseminate enterprse technology standards which do not provide the context of standards and subject to ambiguity. To overcome the out of context problem, the EA community improve the standard list base on the categories in Technical Reference Model. The problem is that TRM is only meaningful to EA community. For the applcation developers who need the standard most, the term of TRM do not serve well. The Enterprise Technology Baseline map which is base on architecture patterns work well for the application developers.
Enterprise Technology baseline map specification
Enterprise technology baseline map is developed render the Enterprsie Technology baseline. It present the technology architecture patterns in the enterprise technology environment. The Enterprise technology baseline map consist of the architecture pattern, the standard list associate to the architecture pattern, The notional Enteprise hierachical tree for the architecture (The profile view); The notional Enterprise distribution(The plan view)as shown in the following figure.
The Enterprise Technology Baseline (ETB) map provide a comprehensive and tangible enterprise technology enviroment. Many organization suffers from lack of a practical baseline document. The Enterprise Technology Baseline map works very well When it comes to security auditing or contract transition.
The ETB map illuste the Enterprise Technology Baseline in the area of :
.Applciation,
.Intergraiton,
.Data
.Infrastructure technology
as described in the following examples developed by the author in the past years. The ETB template is only used as a general reference. It is a flexble priciple and subject to tailoring for specific need.
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The Architecture Pattern
EA map render the enterprise technology baseline based on architecture pattern. Although most of Enterprise Technology Environment consist many differnt technologies, it can be described with a few architecture patterns.
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The standards
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The plan view
The plan view illustrate the Enterprise wide architecture design.
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