ArchiMate MCP Server

{ "title": "ArchiMate 3.2 Relationship Reference", "description": "Complete reference of ArchiMate relationships, their meanings, and usage rules", "categories": { "Structural": { "description": "Relationships that model the static construction or composition of concepts", "relationships": { "Composition": { "symbol": "◆—", "description": "A relationship that indicates that an element consists of one or more other concepts", "usage": "Models that one element is composed of other elements (strong ownership)", "rules": "The composed element cannot exist without the composing element", "examples": [ "Business Process composes Business Functions", "Application Component composes Application Services", "Node composes System Software" ], "common_patterns": [ "Process decomposition into sub-processes", "System decomposition into modules", "Organization decomposition into departments" ] }, "Aggregation": { "symbol": "◇—", "description": "A relationship that indicates that an element groups a number of other concepts", "usage": "Models that one element aggregates other elements (weak ownership)", "rules": "The aggregated elements can exist independently", "examples": [ "Business Collaboration aggregates Business Actors", "Application Collaboration aggregates Application Components", "Technology Collaboration aggregates Nodes" ], "common_patterns": [ "Grouping actors into teams", "Clustering applications into suites", "Grouping infrastructure into platforms" ] }, "Assignment": { "symbol": "◯—", "description": "A relationship that models the allocation of responsibility, performance of behavior, or execution", "usage": "Shows that an active element is assigned to a passive element or behavior element", "rules": "Links active structure elements to behavior or passive structure elements", "examples": [ "Business Actor assigned to Business Process", "Application Component assigned to Application Function", "Node assigned to Artifact" ], "common_patterns": [ "Who performs what process", "Which system provides which service", "What runs on which infrastructure" ] }, "Realization": { "symbol": "—|>", "description": "A relationship that links a logical element with a more concrete element that realizes it", "usage": "Shows how something abstract is made concrete", "rules": "Links elements across different abstraction levels", "examples": [ "Application Service realizes Business Service", "Technology Service realizes Application Service", "Business Process realizes Business Function" ], "common_patterns": [ "How business services are implemented by applications", "How application services are supported by technology", "How abstract concepts become concrete implementations" ] } } }, "Dependency": { "description": "Relationships that model dependencies between concepts", "relationships": { "Serving": { "symbol": "—>", "description": "A relationship that models that an element provides its functionality to another element", "usage": "Shows that one element serves another by providing services or functionality", "rules": "The serving element provides functionality used by the served element", "examples": [ "Application Service serves Business Process", "Technology Service serves Application Component", "Business Service serves Business Actor" ], "common_patterns": [ "Service dependencies between layers", "Support relationships", "Provider-consumer relationships" ] }, "Access": { "symbol": "—> (with r/w/rw)", "description": "A relationship that models the ability of behavior and active structure elements to observe or act upon passive structure elements", "usage": "Shows how behavior or active elements access data or passive elements", "rules": "Can specify access type: read (r), write (w), read-write (rw), or access", "examples": [ "Business Process accesses Business Object", "Application Function accesses Data Object", "Technology Process accesses Artifact" ], "common_patterns": [ "Data access patterns", "Information flow", "Resource usage" ] }, "Influence": { "symbol": "—> (dashed)", "description": "A relationship that models that an element affects the implementation or achievement of some motivation element", "usage": "Shows how elements positively or negatively influence goals, principles, or requirements", "rules": "Can specify strength and sign (positive/negative)", "examples": [ "Driver influences Goal", "Principle influences Requirement", "Assessment influences Outcome" ], "common_patterns": [ "Requirements traceability", "Goal decomposition", "Impact analysis" ] } } }, "Dynamic": { "description": "Relationships that model behavioral dependencies", "relationships": { "Triggering": { "symbol": "—>", "description": "A temporal or causal relationship between elements", "usage": "Shows that one element triggers or initiates another element", "rules": "Links behavior elements to show sequence or causality", "examples": [ "Business Event triggers Business Process", "Application Event triggers Application Process", "Technology Event triggers Technology Process" ], "common_patterns": [ "Event-driven architectures", "Process sequences", "Workflow patterns" ] }, "Flow": { "symbol": "—> (thick)", "description": "A relationship that represents transfer from one element to another", "usage": "Shows flow of information, materials, or energy between elements", "rules": "Can represent information flow, material flow, or energy flow", "examples": [ "Business Process flows to Business Process (information)", "Equipment flows to Equipment (material)", "Node flows to Node (data)" ], "common_patterns": [ "Information flow diagrams", "Process chains", "Supply chains", "Data flows" ] } } }, "Other": { "description": "Other important relationships", "relationships": { "Specialization": { "symbol": "—|>", "description": "A relationship between a general element and a more specific element", "usage": "Shows that one element is a specialized version of another", "rules": "The specialized element inherits properties of the general element", "examples": [ "Specific Business Actor specializes general Business Actor", "Specific Application Component specializes general type", "Specific Technology Service specializes general service" ], "common_patterns": [ "Type hierarchies", "Classification systems", "Inheritance structures" ] }, "Association": { "symbol": "—", "description": "A relationship that models an unspecified relationship, or one that is not represented by another ArchiMate relationship", "usage": "Use when no other relationship type is appropriate", "rules": "Generic relationship without specific semantics", "examples": [ "Business Actor associates with Business Object", "General relationships between any elements" ], "common_patterns": [ "Informal relationships", "Placeholder relationships", "General associations" ] } } } }, "relationship_matrix": { "description": "Valid relationships between element types (simplified overview)", "common_valid_patterns": [ "Active structure elements can be assigned to behavior elements", "Behavior elements can access passive structure elements", "Elements from lower layers typically serve elements from higher layers", "Elements can be composed of or aggregate other elements of the same type", "Abstract elements can be realized by more concrete elements" ] }, "best_practices": [ "Use composition for part-whole relationships with strong ownership", "Use aggregation for grouping without ownership", "Use serving to show service dependencies between layers", "Use realization to show how abstract concepts are implemented", "Use access to show data usage patterns", "Keep relationship directions consistent (typically upward serving)", "Avoid circular dependencies in serving relationships", "Use specialization sparingly for clear type hierarchies", "Prefer specific relationships over generic association" ], "common_anti_patterns": [ "Business actors directly accessing technology elements", "Circular serving relationships", "Too many association relationships (be more specific)", "Mixing abstraction levels inappropriately", "Overusing composition (consider aggregation)", "Missing realization relationships between layers" ] }