Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide Editorial

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide Preface Preface 

An enterprise architecture (EA) establishes the organization-wide roadmap to achieve an organization‘s mission through optimal performance of its core business processes within an efficient information technology (IT) environment. Simply stated, enterprise architectures are blueprints? or systematically and completely defining an organization‘s current (baseline) or desired (target environment. Enterprise architectures are essential for evolving information systems and developing new systems that optimize their mission value. This is accomplished in logical or business terms (e.g., mission, business functions, information flows, and systems environments) and technical terms (e. g., software, hardware, communications), and includes a transition plan for transitioning from the baseline environment to the target environment. 

If defined, maintained, and implemented effectively, these blueprints assist in optimizing the interdependencies and interrelationships among the business operations of the enterprise and the underlying IT that support these operations. It has shown that without a complete and enforced EA (Strategic) Business Units of the enterprise run the risk of buying and building systems that are duplicative, incompatible, and unnecessarily costly to maintain and interface. For EAs to be useful and provide business value, their development, maintenance, and implementation should be managed effectively and supported by tools. This step-by-stepthe present process guide is intended to assist in defining, maintaining, and implementing EAs by providing a disciplined and rigorous approach to EA life cycle management.

It describes major EA program management areas, beginning with:

1. suggested organizational structure and management controls
2. a process for development of a baseline and target architecture.
3. development of a transition plan.

The Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments intended not to use any copyrighted material for this publication or, if not possible, to indicate the copyright or source of the respective object. The Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments has thoroughly checked all the references however could not trace out in all situations the original copyright owner; however, it is never our intention to infringe anyone‘s copyrights. All Trade Marks, Service Marks and registered trademarks/service marks mentioned in this publication are the property of their respective organizations. The copyright for any material created by the author is reserved. The Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments (IFEAD) is using an open publication policy. Organizations can use IFEAD‘s materials for their whether,purposes with a reference notice to IFEAD's copyrights. Organizations that want to use IFEAD‘s materials for commercial purposes can achieve a license from IFEAD. 

The Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments (IFEAD) shall retain ownership of all inventions, hether or not patentable, original works of authorship (whether written or visual), developments, improvements or trade secrets developed by or licensed to IFEAD or developed by third parties on IFEAD‘s behalf, either before or outside of this IPR statement, including but not limited to methodologies, analysis/architectural frameworks, leading practices, specifications, materials and tools (IFEAD Independent Materials) and all IPR therein. Organisations may use the IFEAD Independent Materials provided to Organisations by IFEAD only in furtherance of this IPR statement or with IFEAD‘s prior written consent. IPR? means intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, design rights, copyrights, database rights, trade secrets and all rights of an equivalent nature anywhere in the world.

Table of Contents Preface .....................................................................................................................

1. Introduction......................................................................................................

1 1. 1. EA Tools Review Framework ...............................................................................

1 1. 2. Functionality Dimension .....................................................................................

2 1. 2. 1. Methodologies and Models ........................................................................

2 1. 2. 2. Model Development Interface ...................................................................

1. 2. 3. Tool Automation ............................................................................. ..........

3 1. 2. 4. Extendibility and Customization ................................................................

3 1. 2. 5. Analysis and Manipulation ........................................................................

4 1. 2. 6. Repository ...............................................................................................

4 1. 2. 7. Deployment Architecture ..........................................................................

1. 2. 8. Costs and Vendor Support ........................................................................

5 1. 2. 9. Architecture Results .................................................................................

5 1. 3. Different Professionals Dimension ......................................................................

6 1. 3. 1. Enterprise Architects ................................................................................

6 1. 3. 2. Solution Architects ...................................................................................

1. 3. 3. Strategic Planners / Management .............................................................

6 1. 3. 4. Enterprise Program Managers ...................................................................

7 1. 3. 5. Software Architects / Engineers ...............................................................

7 1. 3. 6. External Partners .....................................................................................

7 2. Enterprise Architecture Modelling & TOGAF ......................................................

8 2. 1. The ArchiMate Modelling Language .....................................................................

9 2. 2. TOGAF 9 ..........................................................................................................

10 3. Overview of Enterprise Architecture Tools(2) .................................................

11 3. 1. Overview of vendors & Tools. (3)......................................................................

11 4. Candidate Tool Requirements Checklist ..........................................................

12 4. . Candidate list of EA Tool Requirements & Specifications ....................................

12 4. 2. The purpose of adopting an EA Tool? ................................................................

20 Appendix A: References ........................................................................................

21 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. 0 © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 iii May 2009

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection 1. Introduction Enterprise Architectures are an emerging approach for capturing complex knowledge about organizations and technology. Enterprise Architectural approaches range from broad, enterprise focused approaches, through to approaches aimed at specific domains. The focus of enterprise architecture efforts is now shifting to become more holistic, thereby necessitating the use of comprehensive modeling tools to analyze and optimize the portfolio of business strategies, organizational structures, business processes / tasks and activities, information flows, applications, and technology infrastructure. Important to adoption of an enterprise architectural approach is the availability of tools to support the development, storage, presentation and enhancement of enterprise architecture representations. As with enterprise architecture methodologies, enterprise architecture tools to support the architectural development process are still emerging. High value is derived from consolidating this portfolio of business artifacts into a single repository in a standardized manner to support enterprise analysis and optimization.

 EA Tools Review Framework 

To consistently review enterprise architecture tools a review framework is defined. The review framework consists of two dimensions: the basic functionality of the tool, and the utility of the tool to different professionals. When reviewing an EA tool‘s basic functionality, the reviewer has to describe how well the tool performed the different functions needed for the enterprise architecture development activity. The tools basic functionality was examined in the following areas: Methodologies and Models; Model Development Interface; Tool Automation; Extendibility and Customization; Analysis and Manipulation; Repository; Deployment Architecture; Costs and Vendor Support; Architecture Results. The second dimension, the tool‘s utility to different professionals, captures the fitness for purpose of the tool, and describes how useful the tool would be to particular professionals. The types of professionals considered were: 

• Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection Enterprise Architects;
  
  
• Solution Architects Strategic Planners / Management;
•  Enterprise Program Managers Software Architects / engineers External Partners.
• EA Tools Review Framework Methodologies and Models
   
• Model Development Interface Tool Automation Enterprise
• Architects Solution Architects Strategic Planners / Management Requirements Enterprise
  
  
• Program Managers Requirements
  
  
• Software Architects / Engineers Requirements
  
  

1. 2. Functionality Dimension

This dimension of the EA Tools review framework attempts to capture how well the tool performs the core functions needed to support the enterprise architecture development activity. This dimension breaks the functionality of an enterprise architecture tool into eight key areas.

1. 2. 1. Methodologies and Models

The most important feature of an enterprise architecture tool the methodologies and modeling the approaches it supports. The approaches the tool supports dictate the types of enterprise architectures the tool is capable of supporting, and to an extent, the type of analysis and manipulation functions the tool is capable of performing. As well as reviewing the methodologies and modeling approaches, this functional area also reviews how well, or how completely, the tool implements the methodologies and modeling approaches it claims to support. For tools that are capable of supporting multiple methodologies and modeling approaches, this functional area also examines how well the different approaches are integrated. For example, when complementary methodologies and modeling approaches (for example process modeling and data modeling) are used, how well can the different approaches be used together in an overall enterprise architectural approach?

When a tool supports competing approaches (for example two approaches to data modeling) how well can the data being modeled be moved between the different perspectives offered by the competing approaches?

1. 2. 2. Model Development Interface

The model development interface is the most obvious part of an enterprise architecture development tool. It is the interface used to design, build, maintain and often manipulate, the models that make up the architecture. Generally, models are built and maintained graphically, by manipulating cons and the connections between them. The tool‘s model development interface may also use textual interfaces to allow additional information to be appended to the graphical models. The overall quality of the model development interface is an important characteristic of any enterprise architecture development tool. The interface must support the modeling activity well, for example by automating some of the drawing functions, by automatically laying out models, or by providing pick lists of alternative values at the appropriate places during the modeling activity. The model development interface must also be intelligently structured, make good use of limited screen space, be logical and consistent to use and navigate. The tool should ideally follow the graphical user interface conventions and guidelines that apply to its host operating system.

1. 2. 3. Tool Automation

Developing and populating enterprise architecture models is often the most time consuming part of the enterprise architecture development activity. By providing support for automating parts of the enterprise architecture development processes, a tool can help speed up the overall development activity. A tool may support the creation of macros or scripts, to automate common functions or actions, or group several functions into one action. These may be used to automate parts of the model development activity. This feature is closely related to the tool‘s ability to be customized, which is described in the next section. The tool may also provide the ability to automatically generate enterprise architecture models based on data held within the tool‘s repository, or have the ability to generate enterprise architecture models as a result of data manipulation functions.

2. 4. Extendibility and Customization

This functional group captures how well an enterprise architecture tool can be modified to meet the unique enterprise architectural requirements of a unique organization. Enterprise Architecture tools may support customization by allowing users to add new modeling approaches or to modify the modeling approaches already supported by the tool. A tool may also support modification by providing a programming interface, allowing the functions of the tool to be modified, or allowing the tool to be integrated with other software products. Most enterprise architecture tools that support high levels of customization allow the underlying meta-models of the tool to be modified, and new meta-models added. Metamodels are through,models about models. They describe what entities can exist.

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide 

EA Tool Selection within particular models, the legal relationships between the different entities, and their properties. By modifying the existing meta-models, or adding completely new meta-models, a tool can be customized to support new modeling approaches. The ability to modify the tool via a programming interface allows the functionality and behavior of the tool to be customized to meet the unique requirements of the organization. Programming customization may be achieved though the use of an application scripting language, for example Visual Basics for Applications (VBA), or through support for adding external components, for example, Active X/DCOM components. Enterprise Architecture tools may be extended by integrating them with other software products. This may be achieved via direct integration through an exposed API within the tool, or via a middleware layer, for example,fixed-width, ActiveX/DCOM, CORBA, and so on. Integration may also be supported via importing and exporting data into and out of the tool via standard file types; for example, character delimited or fixed width delimited text files, HTML, or SYLK files and so on.

Analysis and Manipulation

As well as supporting the development of enterprise architecture models, an enterprise architecture tool may also provide support for analysis and manipulation of the developed models. The type of analysis and manipulation support provided by the tool is often tied to the particular modeling approaches supported by the tool. For example, Flow Analysis is often tied to process/workflow modeling. Analysis support provided by a tool may simply examinto e how correct or complete the model is, relative to a particular modeling approach used. More sophisticated analysis support may allow the model to be interrogated in some way, or be subjected to particular analysis methods. Analysis support may include the ability to compare different versions of models, allowing current and to-be enterprise architectures to be compared. Manipulation functions capture a tool‘s ability to change the way the models are represented and viewed. This may include the ability to view models from particular perspectives, for example showing only particular classes of entities, or the ability to amalgamate separate models into a single model.

1. 2. 6. Repository

Most of the tools on the market make use of some kind of data repository to hold the developed models. The functions provided by the tool‘s repository have a significant impact on the overall functionality, scalability ,oand extendibility of an enterprise architecture tool. Some tools make use of commercial relational database management systems, or commercial Object Orientated or Object/Relational database systems, while others use proprietary repository systems. A tool‘s repository often dictates the way users can collaborate. A repository may provide support for collaboration by supporting multiple, concurrent, users on the one repository, or by providing the ability to combine models developed by different modelers into one model. Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 4 May 2009 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection The repository may also provide many different data management functions, including the ability to support model versioning, the ability to roll back to previous versions, the ability to lock parts of the model against change, and the ability to control access to part or the entire model.

1. 2. 7. Deployment Architecture

A tool‘s deployment architecture describes the tool‘s software structure and software implementation. Generally, enterprise architecture tools tend to adopt one of two deployment architectures: either a single user/single client structure, or a simple two-tier client/server structure. Single user/single client structured tools are designed to operate on one workstation, and can generally only be used by one user at a time. Tools that implement this style of deployment architecture generally have a very tight coupling between the tool and its repository. In this type of deployment architecture, only one modeler can have access to the repository at any one time. The second common deployment architecture found within the enterprise architecture tool domain is a simple two-tier client/server structure. Tools that implement this style of deployment architecture generally have looser coupling between the tool and the repository. Generally, the repository is stored on a network server, and can often be accessed by multiple concurrent users. This deployment architecture allows multiple modelers to work on the same models concurrently.

1. 2. 8. Costs and Vendor Support

The final functional group considered is the cost of the tool and after-sales support provided by the vendor. The cost of enterprise architecture tool licenses can range anywhere from € 1,500 to € 7,000 per license, and optional extras are often available for an add itional cost. Given the high costs of this type of tool, the types of licensing agreements offered by the vendor, and how they may lower the overall cost, are important. For example, does the vendor support floating licenses, allowing expensive licenses to be shared among a large group of users? Does the vendor offer discounts for bulk purchases, or site licenses? Does the vendor offer discounts to the after-salesaregovernment or non-profit organizations? Also important in the overall cost of adopting an enterprise architecture tool, are the cost and type of maintenance and/or after sales support contracts offered by the vendor. Is the vendor able to offer comprehensive, in-house training? If the vendor is a foreign company, do they have an Australian representative available to provide training? Does the vendor offer free technical support? Is the vendor able to offer free or heavily discounted upgrades? How does the vendor address software faults discovered by the user? What is the yearly maintenance costs associated with the tool?

1. 2. 9. Architecture Results

Essential results are those required for all enterprise architectures, while supporting results may be necessary to fulfill specific informational needs. Only those supporting results that portray the desired characteristics should be created. The required results should help formulate the selection of a framework and associated toolset. Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 5 May 2009 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection It is essential that the Chief Enterprise Essential results — the graphics, models, and/or narratives that every Architect guide the development of the enterprise architecture description must EA views and landscapes to meet the include, to support the scope and needs of the Business & IT, characteristics of the EA. especially in the desired level of detail Supporting results — the graphics, needed in the EA results. If the content models, and /or narratives that may be a a at too high level of abstraction, they may be neededessential to further elaborate on essential not be sufficiently useful to guide products or to address particular domain decision-making. If the content is too or scope extensions (e. g. outsourcing or transformation considerations). detailed, it may be difficult to oversee the impact and the risks. Define and select your own visualization/modellingmodelingvisualize techniques to visualise the context, landscape models and,coloredorganization's diagrams to meet your stakeholder‘s demands. Our experience is that visualizing the EA results in the format of large photographic / picturized posters that are coloProfessional'swith the organizations house style is very effective. So define upfront what kind of models, languages and visualizations do you expect from the support of a tool.

1. 3. Different Professionals Dimension

The evaluation of the tools considered their suitability for use by different professionals. The needs of other groups, such as software architects, are not considered in this EA tools selection framework.

1. 3. 1. Enterprise

Architects architectureoverarchinginvestigate all aspects of enterprise architectural approaches and methodologies. This can involve researching different representations and enterprise architectural structures, including the development and investigation of alternative modeling approaches. As such, the requirements for a tool to support enterprise architectural research are quite challenging. The over-arching requirement is flexibility in defining and adapting modeling approaches. However, a robust tool is also required to develop large-scale demonstrators to investigaton and promote these alternative approaches.

1. 3. 2. Solution Architects Solution

Architects are focused at the Solution level and working with the developing vendor to design and implement the Solution. Solution Architects report frequently to Project Managers, but have a dotted-line responsibility to the Enterprise Architects in order toworktoinnovative maintain consistency and interoperability across Business & IT. Therefore their needs for tooling support are different from the Enterprise Architect.

1. 3. 3. Strategic Planners / Management

Strategic planners, including executive management and innovating staff, use the enterprise architectures results for strategic decision making. They need to be assembled and modified quickly and should be based on current (or planned) future capability. Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. 0 © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 6 May 2009 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection Strategic planners need a tool that is easy to use. Local support should bear available when required. The tool should have strong drawing and reuse facilities including support for multiple, related, configurations within a single architecture. Quick, automated, analysis and consistency checking is highly desirable. Integration with existing data sources is essential, particularly when implementing planning facilities.

1. 3. 4. Enterprise Program Managers Enterprise Program

Managers as well as domain program managers and often project managers supportto, the enterprise architecture program in order to support the implementation and transformation phase. The enterprise architecture tools should be able to capture current and future resources (such as platforms, assets and components), organizations, people, information exchanges, tasks or activities, and processes and their relationships as well as program planning facilities. Enterprise Program managers need a tool that is easy to use, with support available when required. Local support is desirable, but probably not essential providing it is very responsive. The tool should have strong planning and analysis capability and allow reuse between enterprise architectures for different activities undertaken at different times.

1. 3. 5. Software Architects / Engineers A Software

Architecture relates requirements, fixed system hardware, and infrastructure (i. e.toneeds/demands, COTS or GOTS) to software structures in order to demonstrate software effectiveness, therefore their needs for tooling support are different from the Enterprise and Solution Architect.

1. 3. 6. External Partners As earlier mentioned Solution Architects and Software

Architects are often working together with Vendors / Partners. Sometimes these partners have different demands from results supported by tools. Therefore it is interesting to know their specific needs / demands.

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. 0 © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 7 May 2009 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection.

2. Enterprise Architecture Modelling & TOGAF 

A coherent description of enterprise architectures provides insight, enables communication among different stakeholders,modeling, and guides complicated (business and IT) change processes. Unfortunately, so far no enterprise architecture description language exists that fully enables integrated enterprise modelling. In this chapter the focus is on the requirements and design of such a language. This language defines generic, organization-independent concepts that can be specialized or composed to obtain more specific concepts to be used within a particular organization. It is not the intention to re-invent the wheel for each enterprise architectural domain: wherever possible there will be a conformation to existing languages or standards such as UML. Then these standards will be complemented with missing concepts, for example focusing on concepts to model the relationships among enterprise architectural domains.

The concepts should also make it possible to define links between models in other languages. The relationship between enterprise architecture descriptions at the business layer and atconfirmatioorganization's the application layer (business-IT alignment) plays a central role. Changes in an organizations strategy and business goals have significant consequences on the organization,architecture structure, processes, software systems, data management and technical infrastructures. Organizations have to adjust processes to their environment, open up internal systems and make them transparent to both internal and external parties. Enterprise architectures are a way to chart the complexity involved. Many enterprises have recognized the value of architectures and to some extent make use of them during system evolution and development. Depending on the type of enterprise or maturity of the architecture practice, in most cases, a number of separate enterprise architectural domains are distinguished such as business, information, application andseveral, technology infrastructure domain. For each enterprise architectural domain architects have their own concepts, modelling techniques, tool support, visualization techniques and so on. Clearly, this way of working does not necessarily lead to a coherent view on the enterprise. 

Enterprises want to have insight into complex change processes. The development of coherent views of an enterprise and a disciplined enterprise architectural working practice significantly contribute to the solution of this complex puzzle. Coherent views provide insight and overview, enable communication among different stakeholders and guide complicated change processes. Unfortunately there is a downside to this euphoria. So far no enterprise architecture description language exists that fully enables integrated enterprise modelling. There is a need for an enterprise architecture language that enables coherent enterprise modelling. Enterprise architects need proper instruments to constructs architectures in a uniform way. The next figure illustrates the scope of such an integrated set of enterprise architecture results.

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection Contextual Reflection Aspect Reflection Business Reflection Model based Enterprise (Concepts) Reflection Transformation Reflection Technological Reflection Model Based Domain Reflection Overview of possible Enterprise Architecture Results & Relations Scope of Enterprise Architecture Results Important elements of such an approach include: o The development of a coherent enterprise modelling language. o Development of specialized views and visualization techniques in order to provide insight for different stakeholders. 

Development of analysis techniques that aid in understanding the complex models. By using a uniform modelling language enterprise architects can avoid a Babellike confusion. At the same time an architectural modelling language should allow the development of specialized visualization techniques for different stakeholders, such as business managers, end-users, project managers, system developers, etc. After all, enterprise architectures are the means by which enterprise architects communicate with the different stakeholders, and this communication works best if it is tailored towards the specific concerns and information needs that they have. Additionally, analysis techniques, for example, impact-of- change analysis, provide ways to study the properties of an integrated model in more detail. In this way enterprise architecture provides the desired insight and overview, which allows a well-organized change process.

The ArchiMate Modelling Language 

By realizing that multiple languages and dialects will always exist, striving for one unique language would be like chasing windmills. Therefore, the flexibility to use other languages is recognized, and is addressed by means of a specialization and generalization requirement of the language itself. In the view of the ArchiMate project a well-defined enterprise architecture language forms the core of such an architecture approach. In this chapter the focus is on the requirements and a first design of such a language. It is not the intention to re-invent the wheel for each architecture domain. When possible standards will be followed, such as UML, as closely as possible. The focus is on the identification of specific relationship concepts and the definition of cross-domain relations. In order to arrive at a 1 https://www. pengroup. org/archimate/ The ArchiMate Forum of The Open Group is the platform for everyone involved with the use and evolution of ArchiMate.

Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection coherent architectural description, several architectural domains and layers as well as their relations must be modelled. This chapter describes the first steps towards a language to support this. The relations between the business and application layer, which play a central role in this version of the language, are a first contribution to the solution of the business-ICT alignment problem that ArchiMate try to tackle. For the state of the art in enterprise modelling, languages have to consider for organisation and process modelling and languages for application and technology modelling. Although there is a trend towards considering the relationship between the organisational processes and the information systems and applications that support them (often referred to as business-IT alignment), modelling echniques to really express this relationship hardly exist yet. A wide variety of organisation and process modelling languages are currently in use: there is no single standard for models in this domain. The conceptual domains that are covered differ from language to language. In many languages, the relations between domains are not clearly defined.

 Also, most languages are not really suitable to describe architectures: they provide concepts to model, e.g., detailed business processes, but not the high-level relationship. Some of the most popular languages are proprietary to specific software tools. Relevant languages in this category include: o The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a standard for business process modeling, and provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process Diagram (BPD), based on a flowcharting technnique very similar to activity diagrams from Unified Modeling Language (UML). The objective of BPMN is to support business process management for both technical users and business users by providing a notation that is intuitive to business users yet able to represent complex process semantics. IDEF originating from the US Ministry of Defence is a collection of 16 (unrelated) diagramming techniques, three of which are widely used: IDEF0 (function modelling), IDEF1/IDEF1x (information and data modelling) and IDEF3 (process description). ArchiMate as an Enterprise Architecture modelling language, originally developed as an initiative of a consortium of Dutch organisations and the Telematica Institute, today ArchiMate is part of the Open Group set of Standards.

2. 2. TOGAF 9 TOGAF Version 9 Enterprise Edition ("TOGAF 9" for short) is a detailed method and set of supporting resources for developing an Enterprise Architecture. Developed and endorsed by the membership of The Open Group's Architecture Forum, TOGAF 9 represents an industry consensus framework and method for Enterprise Architecture. As a comprehensive, open method for Enterprise Architecture, TOGAF 9 complements, and can be used in conjunction with, other frameworks that are more focused on specific aspects of architecture or for vertical sectors such as Government, Defense, and Finance, therefore the support of tools is important. Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide v5. 0 © Copyrights, Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, 2001-2009 10 May 2009 Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide EA Tool Selection.

Candidate Tool Requirements 

Checklist First and foremost, objectives for acquiring and using a comprehensive modeling tool must be articulated and agreed to by all stakeholders. Since this tool is to support enterprise architecture, enterprise-level objectives must be included. Once that is accomplished, the objectives must be translated into requirements for both vendor presence and performance. Also, architectural principles both high-level conceptual and domain-level detailed must be included as screening criteria. Principles can either be converted into requirements or left as-is, requiring vendors to demonstrate their support of such principles. The functional requirements of a tool must be understood prior to embarking on a selection. Only the functionality that is currently required of the tool or that which will be realistically necessary in the future should be selected. The next list is a candidate listing of requirements and specifications. Enhance this list for your own specific situation. Only the functionality that is currently required of the EA tool, or that which will be realistically necessary in the future, should be selected.

Operational & Technical Fit Platform Environment 

Can the client software be installed on MS Windows XP? Can the client software be installed on MS Windows Vista? Can the client software be installed on Linux? Can the server component be set up on MS Windows 2003 Server? Can the server component be set up on SunSolaris? Can the server component be set up on Linux Servers? Can the server component be set up on Unix Servers? Can the repository be set up using the latest versions of Oracle DB? Which Versions? Can the repository be set up for SQL Server? Which Versions? Can the web client be set up for MS Internet Explorer? Which Versions? Are there specific requirements or specifications to setup the repository? Which? 

Performance & Availability

 Can additional licenses be added dynamically without the need to affect users PC's? Can the tool still operate for a period of time if the server holding the licenses fail, e. g. crashes? Does the tool handle extreme amounts of data e. g. millions of records? Does the tool operate at the same performance if there are 100 users accessing the same repository? Offers the tool facilities to monitor its performance? Is remote access feasible and practical (e. g. via GPRS/notebook)? Can the tool perform several tasks at the same time? (e. g. run a report in the background)?

Does the tool have a simultaneous update of open views without user interaction?

 Security (User Admin)

 Is the user required to log on every time he uses the tool? Is it possible to authorize the user at the level of objects? Is it possible to authorize the user at the level of class properties? Does the tool support role based user management? Does the tool support check-in/check-out items of repository? Does the tool support read only access? Does the tool support management of user groups? Does the tool support more than 100 simultaneously logged on users? Assuming there are licenses, can any number of users access the repository at the same time? Are there at least four different user profiles which can have hierarchical relationships to each other? Does the tool record the full history of changes to objects? Does the tool run reports on utilization of its licenses? Does the tool support external Accountancy Audits? Does the tool stamp all changes done to objects with a time-user stamp? Is it possible to define own user profiles? Is it possible to (explicitly) lock models or parts of models? Software Distribution Is a central shared installation possible, which allows users to access the tool without local installation procedures? Does the tool support shared installation of upgrades? Are upgrades possible without a system (esp. server) shutdown? Does the tool support shared initial installation? (I. e. can the tool be site-installed and the installation shared by users)? Are bug fixes distributed in the form of patches? Are patches freely available? Can patches be downloaded from the Internet? Do you have less than three releases a year with well before published release plans? Release Management Does the tool support rollback? Does the tool support replication/synchronization mechanisms? Is it possible to replicate parts of the repository to local repositories? 

Tool Architecture 

Does the tool have a client / server architecture? Does the tool provide a thin client? Does the tool provide a thick client? Does the tool provide standalone usage? Technical and Operational Requirements Does the tool have below or average requirements on operational memory? Please define. Does the tool have below or average requirements on CPU? Please define. Does the tool have below or average requirements on external memory (disks)? Please define. Does the tool use a standard RDBMS? Please define. Vendor Support Help Desk Support Can help desk support be offered in English or other languages? Can you offer time to repair guarantee? Do you provide standard escalation procedures for problem resolution? Is a log of all known bugs, including date of first occurrence, status and date of closure, available online for at least the last 6 months? Can these resources be contacted by phone and e-mail?

Does the help desk have a list of all customizations/work carried out by consultants on the clients site? Can the tool be installed without training? Does the tool provide interactive help? Is the interactive help comprehensive and easy to navigate? Does the tool have an online tutorial? Does the tool have tutorial/help on features? Does the tool have online documentation? Do you run a global bulletin board for raising bug enquiries? Training Do you have dedicated in-house product trainers? Do you provide training specifically for Enterprise Modellers? Can the training be conducted in other languages then English? Which languages? Do you publish regular training schedules? Do you provide formal training of the product? Is courseware available for purchase? Do you provide web based training /e-learning? Do you offer on-site trainings all over the world? Professional Services (Migration) Do you provide consulting services? Do you offer tools or (assistance with) a one-off conversion of documents from Excel, Visio, Word or other format to your tool? Documentation Will you provide us with a full comprehensive set of documentation covering all aspects of the tool? Are changes made available on the Web? Are all documents made available in both hard and soft format? Is the documentation available other languages than English? Define Is there additional documentation available for purchase?

 Local Support 

Do you offer local support in Europe? Do you offer guaranteed reaction times? Newsgroups Is there a user group for your product? Do they meet regularly? Do they have a website? Do you run a global newsgroup for discussion? 

Functional Fit (Specific) Support Analysis 

Does the tool search enterprise architecture design patterns in order to suggest a possible solution? Does the tool support the process of enterprise architecture requirement analysis and the process of generating architecture design? Does the tool offer consistency checking and quality checks for designed architectures in accordance to architecture principles and rules? Does the tool support impact analysis at all levels? Does the tool support delta analysis at all levels? Are there syntax checks through the given data? Are there semantic checks through the given data? Can new consistency checks be defined at any time? Does the tool support bottleneck analysis? Does the tool offer a common meta-model? Does the tool offer mean to force mandatory inputs?

Does the tool support the structured access to stored objects and attributes (trees, hierarchy)? Support of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks Delivers the tool Support for Zachman Framework? Delivers the tool Support for FEAF (Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework)? Delivers the tool Support for E2AF (Extended Enterprise Architecture Framework)? Delivers the tool Support for DoDAF (C4ISR)? Delivers the tool Support for TOGAF v9 EA Framework? Delivers the tool Support for a custom or proprietary enterprise architecture framework? Can the tool handle references to an external custom enterprise architectural framework? Does the tool aid user with navigation in a custom enterprise architecture framework? Support of Enterprise Architecture Program (Time) Does the tool have a timeline marking of objects (e. g. objects valid from.. to.. )? Does the tool handle different stages of existence of objects (e. g. under discussion, valid, in operation, discarded)? Can the tool produce time-related output? (e. g. o show the enterprise architectural landscape at a specific date (to any freely chosen date)? Simulation Does the tool support simulation of alternative enterprise architecture scenarios? Can the tool generate landscapes of (selected) objects of one or more classes? Can the tool generate a landscape of objects which existed on a certain date or over a certain period if time in the past? Is it possible to generate a to-be landscape of objects planned for certain dates? Does the tool simulate impact of changes in a scenario? Does the tool support hierarchy? 

Has the tool the ability to support discrete simulation? Has the tool the ability to perform Monte Carlo simulation? Have the tool facilities to graphical simulation of processes to demonstrate bottlenecks? Repository management Does the tool support Enterprise Architecture Diagrams? Does the tool have Domain Architecture Diagrams? Does the tool have Application Architecture Diagrams? Does the tool have Information Architecture Diagrams? Does the tool have IT Architecture Diagrams? Does the tool fully support Custom Type Diagrams (e. g. Management Dashboard View)? Does the tool support workflow? Does the tool have process modeling functionality i.e. process decomposition and process charts? Does the tool support enterprise architecture design diagrams as standard or can be customized to support this, with the ability to reuse applications and system interfaces from the application architecture diagrams? Does the tool support logical models? Does the tool support physical models (system level)? Does the tool support data flow diagrams? Can the user reuse all objects/definitions (metadata items)? Can the user define and reuse applications within the tool? Can the user define and reuse system interfaces? Can the user define and reuse data flows? Can the user define and reuse functions? Can the user define and reuse technology? Can the user define and reuse requirements? Can the user define and reuse business processes? Can the user define and reuse goals? 

Is the user able to view the architecture through a function view? Is the user able to view the architecture through an information view? Is the user able to view the architecture through an integration view? Is the user able to view the architecture through a distribution view? Can the user define and reuse location? Can the user define and reuse roles? Does the tool support organization models? Can the user have an is-a relationship between a class of objects and its objects within the tool? Can the user have a belong to relationship between some defined object class? Does the tool support extensibility of repository? Does the tool support different abstraction levels (level of detail)? Can the tool generate diagrams using objects, their properties and relationships out of the repository?

 Has the tool the ability to create / design network & hardware systems diagrams / models? Has the tool the ability to create / design communication diagrams / models? Has the tool the ability to scan networks and build network systems topology? Has the tool the ability to create an enterprise meta data dictionary? Does the tool support the incorporation of service level agreements? Has the tool the ability to support Business & IT strategy definitions? Validation of Models Does the tool support a goal model, showing business goals? Does the tool support hierarchy and linking of goals? Does the tool support linking of goals to other categories of objects? Does the tool support polymorphism? Does the tool support inheritance? Does the tool support encapsulation? Does the tool have automatic parsing of requirements? (e.g. by keywords Note: Requirement means anything to comply with , e.g. business rules, IT Strategy etc. ) 

Does the tool have a text and graphical interface to follow the links? Does the tool support versioning of requirements, history of requirement changes, log of modifications etc? Does the tool ensure compliance to defined meta model at all levels? Does the tool ensure that involved responsible users for certain objects (e. g. systems) must agree when changes to interfaces between objects will be done? (workflow) Has the tool the ability to do impact analysis? Has the tool the ability to trace inconsistencies over models? Has the tool the ability to trace incompleteness? Support of Standard modeling languages, methods and techniques Does the tool support UML? Delivers the tool Support for MDA (i.e., Model Driven Architecture, OMG)? Delivers the tool Support for BPML (i.e., Business Process Modeling Language)? Delivers the tool Support for BPEL 2. 0 (i.e., Business Process Execution language)? Delivers the tool Support for BPMN (i.e., Business Process Modeling Notation)? Delivers the tool Support for ADML (i.e., Architecture Description Markup Language, Open Group)? Does the tool support the Yourdon methodology? Does the tool support the Archimate Modeling language? Does the tool support SSADM (i.e., Structured Systems Analysis & Design Methodology)? Does the tool support modeling processes with a swim-lane diagramming approach? Has the tool the ability to develop IDEF0 diagrams? Has the tool the ability to develop IDEF1 diagrams? Has the tool the ability to perform IDEF 1X data modeling? Has the tool the ability to develop IDEF 3 diagrams? 

Does the tool support for IDL (IDEF Interchange Definition Language)? Does the tool support a Six Sigma approach? Does the tool support ISO 900x methodology? Has the tool the ability to develop ANSI standard flowcharts? Does the tool Support for ABC (i. e. , activity based costing)? Hast the tool the ability to create UML v 2. 0 diagrams (e. q. , use cases, state diagrams sequence diagrams, etc)? Has the tool the ability to create IE entity relationship (ER) diagrams? Does the tool support for cardinal notation to create up to fifth normal form ER diagrams? Has the tool the ability to associate multiple attributes per entity (e. q.. , ;25)? Has the tool the ability to generate physical data models (e. q.. , DDL)? Has the tool the ability to create DFDs (i. e. , data flow diagrams)? Does the tool support for Jackson use cases? Support for Enterprise Architecture Review Management Does the tool support identification of components where counter steering is required? Does the tool provide information objects to store, access review reports and results in a structured manner? Functional Fit (General) User Interface Can the user decide on what level to navigate through the tool? Does the tool navigate through a browser? Does the tool support drill down/drill up between levels of detail? Does the tool support undo/redo functionality? Can any number, without a limit, of levels of diagrams be attached to a top level diagram? Does the tool support navigation between the graphical tool and the database in both directions? Does the tool have a search engine for structured and unstructured information? 

Does the tool have a database of patterns? Does the tool have a database of customizable examples / solutions? Does the tool have a framework of orientation within the whole projects? Is there a common look and feel across all products? Do all elements of your product employ similar usability functions? Can the system use graphical and non-graphical user interfaces? Is the use of either interchangeable? Can drag & drop be used in the graphical user interface? Does the tool support the definition of specific views for defined objects through all levels? Does the tool model connection between objects as own objects with attributes? Can attributes of connections be displayed automatically? Can the visualization of connections be changed manually/automatically? Has the tool the ability to mine for patterns within multiple models? Customization Can the user create new diagram types? Can the user create new definitions? Can the user create custom visualizations (symbols) for objects? Can the user create new matrices (relations)? Can the user create new properties for existing definitions? Is possible to create custom queries/filters? Is there no limit to the amount of diagrams, definitions, objects and matrices that can be created? Are the reports easy configurable (i. e. with little coding or very little with the help of examples and tutorials)? Can the user define custom views? Does the tool support aggregation of information in order to create one big picture (Overview)?

Has the tool the ability to spell-check? Has the tool the ability to find and replace? Import/Integration Are there interfaces to other DB programs like: OracleX, MS SQL Server, MS Access, DB2, other? Does the tool import/export using XML? Does the tool integrate with BEA Workshop? Does the tool integrate with Oracle Designer? Does the tool integrate with Rational Rose? Has the tool the ability to support/export to a certain ERP solution? Has the tool the ability to support/export to certain CRM solution? Has the tool the ability to support/export to a certain SCM solution? Has the tool the ability to generate WFSL? Has the tool the ability to import models and diagrams from other tools (e. q. , Visio, etc)? Has the tool the ability to import from CSV (i. e. , comma delimited ASCII)? Has the tool the ability to import from XML files)? Has the tool the ability to publish models in Microsoft Word Has the tool the ability to maintain model relationships in HTML via hyperlinks Has the tool the ability to export to Microsoft Project? Reporting Is it possible to generate, to save and to export user defined reports and graphics? Is it possible to generate HTML output, including diagrams? Is it possible to export to MS WinWord? Is it possible to export to MS Excel? Can the tool produce a summary in MS WinWord to give a summary of the architecture landscape? Can the tool produce a summary in MS WinWord or Excel to give a picture of the mappings and how it fits together? Can the MS WinWord templates/reports be changed through GUI? 

Does the tool support drill down reporting? Does the tool support summary reporting? Does the tool support queries? Is it possible to export to MS Visio? Is it possible to import from MS Visio? Is it possible to export to MS Powerpoint? Is it possible to print all generated reports, graphics to standard output formats (DIN A0-A4), PDF? Is it possible to publish defined information automatically based on predefined states, events or time? Version Management Is there a version mechanism within the tool? Can the tool provide several versions of one metadata object? Is it possible to compare models within a repository? Can the tool handle conflicts on import and merge commands? Does the tool allow multiple versions of an object? Does the tool support comparisons between versions of objects? Does the tool support migration of individual objects/components through development phases? Does the tool support resolution of migration conflicts during the migration of multiple releases? Documentation Management Does the tool produce documents in industry standard formats (ISO, IEEE …)? Does the tool support generating of presentations? Does the tool support WYSWIG preview of output documents and presentations? Does the tool support concurrent review, markup and comment of documents, designs, etc? Help and Tutorials Installation: Can the tool be installed without vendor‘s assistance?

Cite this page