Functional software architecture: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:37, 27 May 2007

Revision as of 02:03, 29 May 2007

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==Development of a FSA==

As the boundary of an enterprise is extended, it becomes increasingly important that a common “big picture” of needed business, people and IT system activities is developed and shared by all the parties involved.<ref name="Kim">Kim & Weston & Hodgson & Lee (2002); The complementary use of IDEF and UML. Information system engineering, Deajon University South Korea, Computers & Industrial Engineering 50, [1]35–56.</ref> A Functional Software Architecture does this by breaking down the organization in business functions and corresponding IT needs. In this way the enterprise engineer provides a rich schematic reference that can be used by the software engineer in the development of these IT-systems.

The development of a Functional Software Architecture can be done by a number of (combined) methods and techniques. Filling in the “gap” between the enterprise engineers and software engineers through the use of different combinations of methods and techniques will be the main objective. However, this objective can only be reached when combined methods result in clear and rich functional software architectures that are developed and used by both parties.

Optimizing the internal and external business processes through process reengineering is one of the main objectives an enterprise can have in times of high external pressure. A [[business process]] involves value creating activities with certain inputs and outputs, which are interconnected and thereby jointly contribute to the final outcome (product or service) of the process. Process reengineering covers a variety of perspectives of how to change the organization. It is concerned with the redesign of strategic, value adding processes, systems, policies and organizational structures to optimize the processes of an organization [2].<ref>Zakarian & Kusiak; Process analysis and reengineering: Departement of Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, USA, Computers & Industrial Engineering 41, 135–150</ref>

==Modeling the business==

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Within the area of enterprise engineering formal methodologies, methods and techniques are designed, tested and extensively used in order to offer organizations reusable business process solutions:

*Computer Integrated Manufacturing Open Systems Architecture (CIMOSA) methodology<ref>Beekman, [3](1989); European Committee for Standardization, ECN TC310 WG1, 1994</ref>

*Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) methodology<ref>U.S. [4]Airforce (1981); ICAM architecture part 1, Ohio, Air Force Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson</ref>

#*Petri Nets<ref>Peterson J.L. (1981); Petri net theory and the modelling of systems, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall.</ref>

*Petri Nets [5]

*Unified Modeling Language (UML) or Unified Enterprise Modeling Language (UEML)<ref># [6Marshall,7] C. (2000); Enterprise Modelling with UML, ISBN 0-201-43313-3, Addison-Wesley, MA.</ref><ref>Vernadat F.B.; A vision for future work of the task force (IFAC-IFIP).</ref>

*Enterprise Function Diagrams (EFD)

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===Petri Nets===

[[Petri Net]]s are known tools to model manufacturing systems<ref>Silva, [9]M. and Valette, R. (1989); Petri nets and Flexible manufacturing. Lecture Notes on Computer Science, 424, 374–417.</ref>. They are highly expressive and provide good formalisms for the modelling of [[concurrent system]]s. The most advantageous properties are that of simple representation of states, concurrent system transitions and capabilities to model the duration of transitions.

Petri Nets therefore can be used to model certain business processes with corresponding state and transitions or activities with in and outputs. Moreover, Petri Nets can be used to model different software systems and transitions between these systems. In this way programmers use it as a schematic coding reference.

In recent years a number of attempts have shown that Petri Nets can contribute to the development of business process integration. One of these is the Model Blue methodology, which is developed by [[IBM]] Chinese Research Laboratory and outlines the importance of model driven business integration as an emerging approach for building integrated platforms.<ref>Zhu et al. (2004); Model-driven business process integration and management: A case study with the Bank SinoPac regional service platform, IBM Corporation, Res. & Dev. Vol. 48 No. [10]5/6.</ref> A mapping between their Model Blue business view and an equivalent Petri Net is also shown, which indicates that their research closes the gab between business and IT. However, instead of Petri Nets they rather use their own Model Blue IT view, which can be derived from their business view through a transformation engine.

===Unified Modeling Language===

[[Unified Modeling Language|UML]] is a broadly accepted modeling language for the development of software systems and applications. The, so called, “object oriented community” also tries to use UML for enterprise modeling purposes. They emphasize the use of enterprise objects or business objects from which complex enterprise systems are made. A collection of these objects and corresponding interactions between them can represent a complex business system or process. Where Petri Nets focus on the interaction and states of objects, UML focuses more on the business objects themselves. Sometimes these are called the “enterprise building blocks”, which includes resources, processes, goals, rules and metamodels.<ref>Eriksson & Penker (1998); UML Toolkit, Wiley, New [12]York.</ref> Despite the fact that UML in this way can be used to model an integrated software system it has been argued that the reality of business can be modeled with a software modeling language. In reaction the object oriented community makes business extensions for UML and adapts the language. UEML is derived from UML and is proposed as a business modeling language. The question remains if this business transformation is the right thing to do. It was earlier said that UML in combination with other “pure’ business methods can be a better alternative.

===Enterprise Function Diagrams===

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In this way EFD has many similarities with IDEF0 diagrams, which also represent in a hierarchical way business processes as a combination of functions and triggers. Difference is that an EFD places the business functions in an organization hierarchical perspective, which outlines the downstream of certain processes in the organization. On the contrary, IDEF0 diagrams show responsibilities of certain business functions through the use of arrows. Also, IDEF0 has a clear representation of inputs and outputs of every (sub)function.

EFD possibly could be used as a business front-end to a software modeling language like UML. The major resemblance with IDEF as a modeling tool indicates that it can be done. However, more research is needed to improve the EFD technique in such a way that formal mappings to UML can be made.<ref Workname="Kim">Kim & Weston & Hodgson & Lee (2002); The complementary use of KimIDEF etand alUML. [1]Information system engineering, Deajon University South Korea, Computers & Industrial Engineering 50, 35–56.</ref> about the complementary use of IDEF and UML has contributed to the acceptance of IDEF as business-front end. A similar study should be done with EFD and UML.

==References==

<references />

#Kim & Weston & Hodgson & Lee (2002); The complementary use of IDEF and UML. Information system engineering, Deajon University South Korea, Computers & Industrial Engineering 50, 35&ndash;56.

#Zakarian & Kusiak; Process analysis and reengineering: Departement of Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, USA, Computers & Industrial Engineering 41, 135&ndash;150.

#Beekman, (1989); European Committee for Standardization, ECN TC310 WG1, 1994.

#U.S. Airforce (1981); ICAM architecture part 1, Ohio, Air Force Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson.

#Peterson J.L. (1981); Petri net theory and the modelling of systems, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall.

#Marshall, C. (2000); Enterprise Modelling with UML, ISBN 0-201-43313-3, Addison-Wesley, MA.

#Vernadat F.B.; A vision for future work of the task force (IFAC-IFIP).

#Ortiz et al. (1999); Enterprise Integration&mdash;Business Processes Integrated Management: a proposal for a methodology to develop Enterprise Integration Programs, Departamento de Organizacion de Empresas, Technical Uversity of Valencia, Spain, Computers in Industry 40, 155&ndash;171.

#Silva, M. and Valette, R. (1989); Petri nets and Flexible manufacturing. Lecture Notes on Computer Science, 424, 374&ndash;417.

#Zhu et al. (2004); Model-driven business process integration and management: A case study with the Bank SinoPac regional service platform, IBM Corporation, Res. & Dev. Vol. 48 No. 5/6.

#Aguiar, M. (1995); Executing Manufacturing Models of Open Systems, Ph.D. Thesis, Loughborough University.

#Eriksson & Penker (1998); UML Toolkit, Wiley, New York.

[[Category:Information technology]]