TRAK
Enterprise Architecture MetamodelFeatures / Overview of the TRAK Metamodel
The TRAK Metamodel provides the tuples that are used to describe the things that appear in TRAK Views (each of which is specified by a TRAK Viewpoint - see the TRAK Viewpoints project site).
A tuple is formed from one or more triples, each consisting of either one or two node or block elements and a single connector or relationship element e.g.
triples:
- Threat (synonym Hazard) exploits Vulnerability
- Role requires Competence
- Requirement has part Requirement - to describe a requirement structure / hierarchy
More complex statements - architecture description tuples - assertions or sentences can be formed by chaining triples together:
- 'Role requires Competence to conduct Function'
- 'Resource performs Function poses Threat exploits Vulnerability results in Risk' with
- (a different) 'Resource exposed to (same) Risk' - TRAK allows you to describe both the thing causing the Threat and the thing impacted by the vulnerability to that threat.
- 'Evidence supports Argument supports Claim about Architecture Description Element' and possibly hence
- 'Evidence proves Claim about Architecture Description Element'
The TRAK Metamodel
The TRAK metamodel is now slightly more than can be fitted onto a single A4 landscape page ...
The TRAK Metamodel (at 9th September 2023)
Metamodel Elements for Describing System Safety and Security
Metamodel Elements for Describing the Architecture Task and for internal Management of TRAK
This part of the TRAK metamodel provides:-
- elements used to describe TRAK itself - used for the management of TRAK
- 'Architecture Viewpoint governs Architecture View'
- 'Architecture View presents Architecture Description Tuple'
- elements used to describe an architecture task which are used in a TRAK MV-02 Architecture Description Design Record View to describe the purpose and then the findings.
- 'Organisation or Job plays Role extends to Architecture Task'
- (same) 'Architecture Task delivers Architecture View or Architecture Description'
- 'Architecture View addresses Concern' with 'Job or Organisation has (same) Concern'
Metamodel Characteristics
The TRAK Metamodel :-
- is agnostic of any software notation - it is solution-independent
- it defines what is required in terms of blocks, connectors, tuples and properties not how to implement them in a notation or architecture description language (ADL) such as the UML or the SysML etc.
- defines a set of assertions or statements (approximately 770 possible assertions)
- in english language
- that can be read without needing to understand technical notations
- that form paths or routes or indeed "sentences", that
- can be chained together e.g. Organisation makes Claim about Role requires Competence to conduct Function, Job plays Role extends to System
- can be used to derive meaning
- can be used to to check consistency of the view or architecture description content
- support queries to check or produce artefacts such as compliance matrices, interface definition etc.
- provides a rich structured language to describe systems (configured with people and technology) and their context in the" Residual World"
Parts of the TRAK Metamodel
Some short descriptions of parts of the TRAK metamodel are provided by way of an introduction:-
Modification Date: September 23, 2023