Glossary

Metamodel

The formal definition of which object types exist in the architecture, how they may relate, with what cardinalities, and which configurations are invalid.

The formal definition of which object types exist in the architecture, how they may relate, with what cardinalities, and which configurations are invalid. It is the model to which every model built with the methodology must conform.

It is what turns conformance into a query. Without a formal metamodel, whether an implementation respects the architecture can only be answered by a person reading documents, and that answer expires with the next change.

On this site: Methodology →

Related terms

Architectural integrity constraint

A rule defining what is methodologically valid, beyond what is structurally possible.

Architectural object

Each of the sixteen element types the metamodel recognizes, from strategic objective to evidence.

Cardinality

A rule defining how many instances of one object may or must relate to another. It is not a modelling technicality: it encodes business decisions, such as every offering executing exactly one…

Enterprise architecture tools

Software that captures the relationships among capabilities, processes, applications, information and technology, so architecture decisions can be analysed rather than argued.

Living repository

The set of architectural objects and relationships as they exist on the platform at a given moment.

Methodological conformance

A property of an implementation whose repository satisfies the ten integrity constraints.

Traceability

The ability of an artifact to demonstrate which other artifacts it relates to and why it exists.