Content deleted Content added
Undid revision 499818744 by Alan Liefting (talk) re-add cats and colon |
ISresearcher (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
Line 8:
=== Interoperability ===
The automation of cross-organizational [[business process]]es is one of the most important trends of the information age. lnstead of a tight [[integration]] however, collaborating organizations rather strive for a loose coupling of their information systems. The information systems should be able to work together but retain as much independency as possible. This characteristic is also called [[interoperability]]. In the context of collaborating '''organizations''', the term Business Interoperability was proposed. In comparison to technical interoperability notions, this term refers to the '''capability of autonomous organizations to execute a collaborative business process among them'''.<br />
[[Information system]]s are systems that process information, i.e. they capture, transport, transform, store and offer information. Following the conception prevailing in information systems research, an information system comprises not only the hardware and software of an enterprise, but also the related human actors, business functions and processes as well as organization structures.<ref> Compare BECKER & SCHÜTTE (2004), p. 33, and GABRIEL (2008)</ref>. This broad understanding is also embodied by the often-referenced [[Zachman Framework]].▼
▲[[Information system]]s are systems that process information, i.e. they capture, transport, transform, store and offer information. Following the conception prevailing in information systems research, an information system comprises not only the hardware and software of an enterprise, but also the related human actors, business functions and processes as well as organization structures.<ref> Compare BECKER & SCHÜTTE (2004), p. 33, and GABRIEL (2008)</ref>
[[Architecture]] is defined as the “fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationships to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution”<ref>IEEE (2007)</ref>. Sinz defines an information system architecture as the building plan of an information system in the sense of a specification and documentation of its components and their relationships covering all relevant viewpoints as well as the constructions rules for the creation of the building plan<ref>Compare SINZ (2002), p. 1055. </ref>.
Accordingly, an '''Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems''' is the building plan of an cross-organizational information system, which enables the organization to execute a collaborative business process among them.
== Reference Architecture ==
Line 19 ⟶ 18:
[[File:Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems.gif|thumb|right|Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems]]
Following the work on interoperable information systems conducted in European Research Projects (e.g. <ref>R4eGov, ATHENA, Interop NOE</ref>), in 2010 the Architecure of Interoperable Information Systems (AIOS) was published <ref>Ziemann 2010</ref> as a reference for the construction of loosely coupled, interoperating information systems and for the systematic, model-based enactment of collaborative business processes.
The AIOS originally aims at large organizations who want to interoperate with other large organziations. To this aim it describes how internal information system elements can be systematically connected with the information systems of partner organizations. Though the AIOS comprises all models needed for the enactment of collaborative business it focuses on '''design time''' aspects, e.g. the systematic development and configuration of interoperable information systems. The deployment of these models and the infrastructure to execute them are not described by AIOS. However, one '''run time''' component of the AIOS is a repository, in which each organization publishes the content of its [[Business Interoperability Interface]] (BII) to collaboration partners. Since it comprises external views on information system elements, it can support (runtime) publishing and discovery functionalities as needed in [[Service-oriented Architecture]]: In the BII, the externally relevant processes, services, organization structures etc. are described on various levels of technical granularity, enabling other organizations to search also for business-level concepts and not only for technical artifacts. Here, different from the traditional SOA approach, instead of one central service directory, various partner-specific repositories are implemented.▼
=== Structure ===
The architecure builds on three orthogonal axes: Enterprise Dimensions, Levels of technical Granularity and Colloborative Views. The latter provides a public view on private information system elements. Thus, the architecture provides a comprehensive [[Business Interoperability Interface]], which describes the information system boundaries of one organization to its collaboration Partners and connects internal and external information systems.
==== Enterprise dimensions====
To describe business processes comprehensively this axis provides distinct views on processes, functions, data, and organizational elements. In the organization dimension, roles, units and other organization elements relevant for the collaboration are described and related to internal elements. This ensures for example, that the collaboration partners have a common understanding of the interacting roles. In the data dimension, document types used in the collaboration are defined and related to internally used document types. In the function dimension, business functions and services offered in the collaboration are described. In the process dimension, the processes that each organization offers are described as well as how these public processes are related to adjacent processes of partner organizations.
Line 34 ⟶ 35:
# Execution Level: Here the models are machine interpretable and can used during runtime in the execution of processes.
▲The AIOS originally aims at large organizations who want to interoperate with other large organziations. To this aim it describes how internal information system elements can be systematically connected with the information systems of partner organizations. Though the AIOS comprises all models needed for the enactment of collaborative business it focuses on '''design time''' aspects, e.g. the systematic development and configuration of interoperable information systems. The deployment of these models and the infrastructure to execute them are not described by AIOS. However, one '''run time''' component of the AIOS is a repository, in which each organization publishes the content of its [[Business Interoperability Interface]] (BII) to collaboration partners. Since it comprises external views on information system elements, it can support (runtime) publishing and discovery functionalities as needed in [[Service-oriented Architecture]]: In the BII, the externally relevant processes, services, organization structures etc. are described on various levels of technical granularity, enabling other organizations to search also for business-level concepts and not only for technical artifacts. Here, different from the traditional SOA approach, instead of one central service directory, various partner-specific repositories are implemented.
== References ==
| |||