What is a Pattern?
Generally spoken, a pattern is a solution scheme that helps you finding solutions without repeating the errors of others. It is something that has existed for a long time and has evolved until someone has noticed it and has described it in a formalized way.
In the Architecture (not ICT) domain, Alexander, Ishikawa and Silverstein used the concept of patterns for describing architectural constructions in their book "Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Constructions". Gamma and the Gang Of Four transferred the idea to Software Development. Their book "Design Patterns" did influence the development of software in many ways. Any programmer learning his craft is going to learn about patterns and how they help simplifying the development process.
What is an Enterprise Architecture Pattern?
We took the idea of patterns and used it in the context of Enterprise Architecture and were fascinated by the opportunities this approach offered. Not only in a technical way of thinking but as much as a mean to facilitate discussions between the different stakeholders. The structured approach of the description of an Enterprise Architecture Pattern (EAP) helps finding a common understanding of the problem and its solution and accelerates the solution finding process.
An EAP has always the same shape, it begins with choosing a meaningful name and has the description of the problem to be solved and the context in which the problem resides. The solution describes how the pattern presents itself on the different layers:
- Holistic View
- Business View
- Data and Application View
- Technical View
It concludes by the resulting context when the pattern is successfully applied and the consequences that may arise when using this pattern.