ArchiMate:

a Service-Oriented
Enterprise Architecture
Modeling Language

OMG Technical Meeting

SOA WG
December 6, 2005

Marc Lankhorst
Telematica Instituut
The Netherlands
Overview

• Introduction
• The ArchiMate modeling language
– History
– Language structure
– Example
– Practical results
• Relation with UML and MDA
Telematica Instituut

• Non-profit Dutch research institute funded by

companies and the Dutch government
• To bridge the gap between industry and academia
by translating fundamental results into practical
applications
• Approx. 180 man-years research capacity, in close
cooperation with universities and research institutes
Partners Telematica Instituut
Business Research
ArchiMate
The ArchiMate Project

• 2½ years, July 2002 - December 2004

• approx. 35 man-years, 4 million euro
• Consortium of companies and
knowledge institutes, directed by
the Telematica Instituut
• ABN AMRO, Dutch Tax Administration,
ABP Pension Fund, Ordina
• University of Nijmegen, University of Leiden,
Center for Mathematics & Computer Science
Enterprise Architecture: Describing Coherence

Information architecture Product architecture

?

Process architecture

?
?
?
Application architecture Technical architecture

?
 Conceptual Hierarchy

more specific Object Generic concepts

more generic

Relation

Enterprise architecture
Application Process concepts

Domain-specific
concepts
 Layers, Aspects and Domains

Environment

Business

Application

Technology

Structure Behaviour Information

Services as Binding Concept
customer

External
bus. service Business layer

Internal
bus. service

External
app. service Application layer
Internal
app. service

External
tech. service Technology layer
Internal
tech. service
Product and Process

Travel Insurance

Claim Customer Claim Policy

registration information payment
service service service

Claim handling

Notifi-
Registration Acceptance Valuation Payment cation

Letter
Actors, Roles, Processes

Customer Insurant ArchiSurance Insurer

Claim Customer Claim

registration information payment
service service service

Claim handling

Notifi-
Registration Acceptance Valuation Payment cation
Application Behavior

Policy
creation
service

Policy administration
Create policy

Assess Calculate Generate Store

risk premium policy policy

Insurance Insurance Customer

application policy record
Application Usage

Claim handling
Notifi-
Registration Acceptance Valuation Payment cation

Customer Claim
administration administration Payment
service service
service

CRM Policy Financial Notifi-

system administration application cation
data
Deployment

CRM Policy Financial Notifi-

system administration cation
application
data

Database MQ
access messaging
service service

Database
tables

zSeries Mainframe Sun Blade

Fin.
DB2 LAN iPlanet application
Database App. server EJBs
 Roles and actors

Client Insurant ArchiSurance Insurer

Layered
Architecture External business services
Claim
registration
Customer
information
Claims
payment
service service service

Business layer Damage claiming process

Registration Acceptance Valuation Payment

External application services

Customer Claims
Payment
administration administration
service
service service

Application components and services

Customer Claim
information information
service service

Application layer CRM Policy Financial

system administration application

External infrastructure services

Claim Customer
files files
service service

Infrastructure

zSeries mainframe Sun Blade

Technology layer DB2 iPlanet

Financial
application
EJBs
database app server
Results in Practice
• Applications at numerous organisations
– Used by > 25 organizations, esp. in finance,
government, and social security
– Fast becoming a de facto standard in the Netherlands
• Implementation by tool vendors
– BiZZdesign, Troux Metis (certified)
– IDS Scheer (ARIS), Adaptive, Telelogic (implementing)
– MEGA, Casewise, ASG (considering implementation)
• Support by major consulting firms
– Atos Origin, Sogeti, Ordina, Getronics PinkRoccade
– Interest from IBM, LogicaCMG, Capgemini
• Education
– Used by several Dutch universities and
Members ArchiMate Forum
ArchiMate, MDA, and UML
 ArchiMate covers
ArchiMate and MDA aspects of CIM, PIM,
and PSM, but at a high
level of abstraction
Computation
Independent Model
(CIM)

mapping
mapping
Platform
Independent Model ArchiMate
(PIM)
mapping
mapping

Platform
Specific Model
(PSM)
ArchiMate and UML

• ArchiMate connects architectural domains

– It acknowledges the need for specialised
languages for different architectural domains, such
as UML, BPMN, and others
– Mappings to more detailed, specialised models
• Many ArchiMate concepts derived from or related to
UML (esp. for application and infrastructure) and
BPMN (at the business level)
• A UML profile for ArchiMate is available
Our Suggestion

• Increasing need for documentation on the enterprise

architecture level
• A standard is needed for describing integration of
architectural domains
– For communication: speaking the same language
– For tool interoperability
• OMG should foster standardization in this area, e.g.
via a UML profile for SOA or enterprise architecture
– We can contribute
More Information?

Most ArchiMate results are open to the public and

available through the website: www.archimate.com

Marc Lankhorst
Telematica Instituut
P.O. Box 589
7500 AN Enschede
The Netherlands
[email protected]
053-4850485