Reference model: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:11, 2 May 2013

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There are a number of concepts rolled up into that of a 'reference model.' Each of these concepts is important:

* ''Abstract'': a reference model is abstract. It provides information about environments of a certain kind. A reference model describes the type or kind of entities that may occur in such an environment, not the particular entities that actually do occur in a specific environment. For example, when describing the architecture of a particular house (which is a specific environment of a certain kind), an actual exterior wall may have dimensions and materials, but the concept of a wall (type of entity) is part of the reference model. One must understand the concept of a wall in order to build a house that has walls.

* ''Entities and relationships'': A reference model containsdescribes both types of entities (things that exist) and their relationships (how they connect, interact with one another, and exhibit joint properties). A list of entitiesentity types, by itself, isdoesn't notprovide sufficientenough information to describeserve as a reference model.

* ''Within an environment'': A reference model does not attempt to describe "all things." A reference model is used to clarify "things within an environment" or a problem space. To be useful, a reference model should include a clear description of the problem that it solves, and the concerns of the stakeholders who need to see the problem get solved.

* ''Technology agnostic'': A reference model is not useful if it makes assumptions about the technology or platforms in place in a particular computing environment. A reference model is a mechanism for understanding the problems faced, not the solutions involved, and as such, must be independent of the selected solutions in order to provide value to the practitioner. Note: That does not preclude the development of a reference model that describes a set of software applications, because the problem space may be "how to manage a set of software applications."