Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems: Difference between revisions

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The automation of cross-organizational [[business process]]es is one of the most important trends of the information age. Instead of a tight [[integration]] collaborating organizations rather strive for a loose coupling of their information systems: information systems should be able to work together but retain as much independency as possible. This characteristic is also called '''[[interoperability]]''', or in the context of of collaborating organizations, [[Business Interoperability Interface#Business Interoperability|Business Interoperability]], referring to the capability of autonomous organizations to execute a collaborative business process among them.

'''[[Information systems|informationInformation system]]''' 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 for example Becker & Schütte (2004, p. 33): Handelsinformationssysteme – Domänenorientierte Einführung in die Wirtschaftsinformatik 2nd Edition, Redline Wirtschaft, Frankfurt or Gabriel(2008): Informationssystem. Enzyklopädie der Wirtschaftsinformatik, Online Lexikon. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Germany. </ref> This broad understanding is also embodied by the [[Zachman Framework]].

'''[[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): IEEE 1471 Website, IEEE Std. 1471 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Version 5.0, 19 July 2007. Http://www.iso-architecture.org/ieee-1471/ieee-1471-faq.html, ac-cessed: May 2009</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> Sinz (2002): Architektur von Informationssystemen. In: Rechenberg, P., Pomberger, G. (eds.): Informatik-Handbuch. 3rd Edition, Hanser, München, pp. 1055-1068</ref>.