Enterprise Architecture

-Introduction:
The Zachman Framework is a framework for enterprise architecture which provides a formal and highly structured way of defining an enterprise. It uses a two dimensional classification model based around the 6 basic communication interrogatives (What, How, Where, Who, When, and Why) intersecting 6 distinct model types which relate to stakeholder groups (Visionary, Owner, Designer, Builder, Implementer and Worker) to give an holistic view of the enterprise which is being modeled.

--System Architecture:The design or set of relations between the parts of a system. There is no strict definition of which aspects constitutes a system architecture, and various organizations define it in different ways, including:

1)The fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationships to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution.
2)The composite of the design architectures for products and their life cycle processes.
3)A representation of a system in which there is a mapping of functionality onto hardware and software components, a mapping of the software architecture onto the hardware architecture, and human interaction with these components.
4)An allocated arrangement of physical elements which provides the design solution for a consumer product or life-cycle process intended to satisfy the requirements of the functional architecture and the requirements baseline.
5)An architecture is the most important, pervasive, top-level, strategic inventions, decisions, and their associated rationales about the overall structure (i.e., essential elements and their relationships) and associated characteristics and behavior.
6)A description of the design and contents of a computer system. If documented, it may include information such as a detailed inventory of current hardware, software and networking capabilities; a description of long-range plans and priorities for future purchases, and a plan for upgrading and/or replacing dated equipment and software.
7)A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of the system at component level to guide its implementation.
8)The structure of components, their interrelationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time.

The strong points are the complete coverage gained by touching each of the cells on the schema. The weak point is that this approach generates a lot of documentation, due to its completeness, which can be difficult to digest and sometimes of questionable utility.