Data layer for Data Architects.
Apologize for my English I am not very good in grammar as it is not my native language. As an enthusiastic professional in the data architecture, I find myself struggling using ArchiMate® within my work on the data architect layer. In my struggle I found out that a very large group of data architects have the same issue as I have, but use 'work arounds'. Work arounds they find are in no way the sollution, but it is quicker then try to change a standard.
In this mail I would like to ask you:
- Can you please make an extra layer for data maybe in combination with information?
- Can you please add symbols for subject area’s and/ or domain subjects? In this e-mail I would like to show you in short how and why we need this extra layer and extra symbols.
Data is more and more considered as the fourth production factor. With the same data stored and used all around different applications, it is very important to visualize this coherence on the conceptual level. DAMA DMBOK has this need explained in chapter 4 page 105 and further. Now data is found on each layer within the ArchiMate® framework (data objects,…) . The problem is: this is not workable to create coherence on the same abstract level. As Business, Application, Technical, etc. at architecture level.
Since I started as a data architect I wanted to use my visualizations to communicate with other architects and stakeholders. Every time I stranded on the misunderstanding due to interpretation from ArchiMate® symbols as they are not standardized the way I needed when talking about data. This gap in ArchiMate® will be more and more urgent, since programming tools are using visualization to create apps and working processes. It simply won’t work, because the programming tools act and create code only on the meaning from the standardized symbols. When there is no consistency, those tools simply wont work.
After a short consult with a few architects we came up with a list:
For us at Alliander, we see this as a journey and a crucial step in a more data driven way of thinking. It is the start and we hope that together we come with a good sollution, so that data architects can really contribute on the Architect layer.
Your Sincerely,
Huup de Jong