Building application architectures for TOGAF Phase C
The Application Architecture of the organization involves:
•Capturing the Application Portfolio. This entails:
•Understanding what Physical Application Components you have, who owns them, how they are used, how much they cost, what vendor supplies them, and so on. This endeavor is called Application Portfolio Management (APM).
•Optionally capturing what Logical Applications you have. A Logical Application layer enables you to categorize what Physical Applications are being used. An example of a Logical Application Component is “Enterprise Architecture tool”, or “Graphics tool”. An example of a Physical Application Component is “System Architect”, or “Paint”.
•Understanding what Versions of Applications are deployed, and what versions of Technologies they use. Note that the Physical Application Version definition is an extension to the TOGAF standard by UNICOM Systems Inc.
•Making decisions on the Application portfolio – which applications to invest in, which to maintain, and which to sunset – and the roadmap for decisions made.
•Understanding where the Physical Application Versions are deployed – on what Server Instances, Device Instances, Database Instances – and where those are Located. Note that Device Instance, Server Instance, and Database Instance are extensions to the TOGAF standard by UNICOM Systems Inc. for real-world architecture. The TOGAF specification details that Physical Application Components are at Locations.
Diagram Views that help you architect and visualize the Application Architecture are:
•Application Communication diagram.
•Application and User Location diagram.
•Network Infrastructure diagram.
For a full description on how to build the architecture at this phase, see the TOGAF documentation at: