Enterprise Architecture Modeling Glossary

On this page, we have listed the terms from the Dragon1 open EA Method you will encounter throughout this guide:

Architecture

A total concept for a structure consisting of operative, decorative, and constructive concepts.

Enterprise Architecture

A total concept for an enterprise structure, consisting of operative, decorative, and constructive business and IT concepts.

Concept

An idea, approach, way of doing things, abstraction of an implementation.

Element

A logical entity as part of a concept and principle of a concept.

Principle

The enforced way an entity works, producing results.

Entity Class

A logical data item type that can be stored in a folder. Humans, Products, Services, Processes, and Applications, etc. All are entity classes. You can store many types and instances of entities in a folder.

Entity

A logical data item that can be stored in a folder. A customer (human), insurance (a product), serving coffee (a service), sending invoices (a process), and CRM (application) are examples of entities. A model, view, and visualization are entities, but they are also specific entities. Every entity always is an instance of an Entity Class.

Model

A set of related entities. For example, the enterprise model of a hospital consists of entities like humans, products, services, processes, and applications.

Meta Model

A class of models. For example, hospital enterprise models.

Viewpoint

A set of entity classes, entity types, and entities attribute values that are of interest to a certain stakeholder.

View

A filtered model based on a viewpoint (a set of entities).

Visualization

A graphical representation of a view of a model. Diagrams and presentations are types of visualizations.

Relationship

The logical connection between entities in a model.

Complete overview of terms

For a complete overview of terms, please check the Dragon1 Glossary page.