Concept: Architectural Mechanism |
Used during development to minimize complexity, Architectural Mechanisms represent a common solution to a common problem.
Relationships
Related Elements | Design Mechanism Implementation Mechanism Design the Solution Develop the Architecture Analysis Mechanism Architecture
Main Description
Architectural Mechanisms are used to satisfy architecturally significant requirements. They form the basis of common software that will be consistently applied across the product being developed. They also form the basis for standardizing the way that the software works; therefore, they are an important element of the overall software architecture. When fully described, Architectural Mechanisms show patterns of structure and behavior in the software. There are three categories of Architectural Mechanism: Analysis, Design and Implementation. These categories reflect the state of the architectural mechanism over time. The state changes as successive levels of detail are uncovered during the refinement of architecturally significant requirements into working software. The categories are summarized in the table that follows. Types of Architectural Mechanism
Mechanism | Description
--- | ---
Analysis | A conceptual solution to a common technical problem. For example, persistence is an abstract solution to the common requirement to store data. The purpose of this category is simply to identify the need for an Architectural Mechanism to be designed and implemented; and capture basic attributes for that mechanism.
Design | A refinement of an Analysis Mechanism into a concrete technology (for example, RDBMS). The purpose of this category is to enable initial design specifications to be produced and to guide precise product or technology selection.
Implementation | A further refinement of a Design Mechanism into a specific technology or product that implements the required Architectural Mechanism. For example, MySQL, as a database product, implements the Analysis Mechanism Persistence and Design Mechanism RDBMS.
The transition from one state to another can be obvious or intuitive. Therefore, it can be achieved in a matter of seconds. It can also require more considered analysis and design, thus take longer. The following diagram illustrates the transition of Architectural Mechanisms from one state to another. State Machine for Architectural Mechanisms
More Information
Checklists | Architecture
Concepts | Patterns Analysis Mechanism Architecturally Significant Requirements Design Mechanism Implementation Mechanism Design Mechanism Implementation Mechanism Analysis Mechanism
Guidelines | Example Analysis Mechanism Descriptions Example Architectural Mechanisms Example: Design Mechanisms
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