Application Platform - Taxonomy

Principles    Service Categories    Service Qualities

Basic Principles

The TOGAF Technical Reference Model has two main components:

This section describes in detail the taxonomy of the TOGAF Technical Reference Model. The aim is to provide a core taxonomy that provides a useful, consistent, structured definition of the application platform entity and is widely acceptable.

No claims are made that the chosen categorization is the only one possible, or that it represents the optimal choice.

Indeed, it is important to emphasise that the use of TOGAF, and in particular the TOGAF Architecture Development Method, is in no way dependent on use of the TOGAF TRM taxonomy. Other taxonomies are perfectly possible, and may be preferable for some organizations.

For example, a different taxonomy may be embodied in the legacy of previous architectural work by an organization, and the organization may prefer to perpetuate use of that taxonomy. Alternatively, an organization may decide that it can derive a more suitable, organization-specific taxonomy by extending or adapting the TOGAF TRM taxonomy.

In the same way, an organization may prefer to depict the TOGAF taxonomy (or its own taxonomy) using a different form of TRM graphic, which better captures legacy concepts and proves easier for internal communication purposes.

However, a consideration to bear in mind in deciding which taxonomy to use, is that the taxonomy of the TOGAF TRM is used in structuring the TOGAF Standards Information Base (SIB), the database of all Open Group endorsed industry standards which is available for populating an architecture. Any differences from the TOGAF TRM taxonomy would need to be catered for when using the TOGAF SIB. (This typically represents an additional overhead, but not a major obstacle.)

Application Platform Service Categories

The major categories of services defined for the application platform are listed below.

Note that Object services does not appear as a category in the Technical Reference Model taxonomy. This is because all the individual object services are incorporated into the relevant main service categories.  However, the various descriptions are also collected into a single subsection Object-Oriented Provision of Services, in order to provide a single point of reference which shows how object services relate to the main service categories.

To go to the detailed description of a particular service category, follow the hyperlink from the relevant service name.

Alternatively, to browse a number of service category descriptions, you may find it more convenient to load the (Index to) Detailed Platform Taxonomy into the Contents frame opposite.

Object-Oriented Provision of Services

A detailed description of each of these service categories is given under Object-Oriented Services.

Application Platform Service Qualities

Besides the platform service categories delineated by functional category, service qualities affect information system architectures.

A service quality describes a behavior such as adaptability or manageability. Service qualities have a pervasive effect on the operation of most or all of the functional service categories. 

The detailed discussion of service qualities is consolidated in a single section Service Qualities in order to provide a coherent perspective.

The service qualities presently identified in the TRM taxonomy are:

Copyright © The Open Group, 1998