TOGAF 9.2 Content Metamodel Framework - A Quick Guide

TOGAF 9.2 Metamodel is an enterprise architecture framework that assists in the definition of business goals and their alignment with architecture goals in the context of enterprise software development. Read on to learn about the TOGAF metamodel, TOGAF deliverables, TOGAF phases and deliverables, and the TOGAF Content Metamodel components. To gain a better understanding of TOGAF you should also read our blog posts on what is TOGAF and Why its so important?

What is TOGAF Metamodel?

The TOGAF Metamodel provides a process lifecycle for creating and managing architectures inside a business. A description of inputs, outputs, and actions at each phase of the ADM describes various architectural products or artifacts, such as process and application. The content metamodel offered here establishes a formal framework to maintain uniformity throughout the ADM and assist businesses seeking to integrate their architecture within an architecture tool. A model that explains how and with what the architecture will be structurally expressed. One of the best ways to learn about TOGAF effectively is to enrol in the online TOGAF certification course online.

Content Metamodel Vision and Concepts

The essential ideas inside the core content metamodel are identified as core content metamodel concepts. 

1. Content for the Core and extensions 
2. Modeling, both formal and casual 
3. Entities important to the Metamodel 

Core and Extensions Content 

The TOGAF framework's role is to establish an open standard for architecture that may be used in a variety of settings and situations. To achieve this objective, it is required to provide a fully-featured Enterprise Architecture metamodel for content and the ability to avoid performing needless tasks through tailoring. 

Core Metamodel Entities 

The vocabulary defined in the TOGAF ADM is the foundation for the content metamodel. The following keywords are employed: 

• Actor: a person, organization, or system that does not fall under the purview of the architectural model yet interacts with it 
• Application Component: an encapsulation of application functionality aligned with the implementation structure 
• Business Capability: a technical capacity that a company may have to attain a given goal 
• Business Service: an officially specified interface that provides business capabilities and is explicitly regulated by an organization 
• A Course of Action: strategic goals and objectives offer direction and emphasis, frequently giving the value proposition described in the company model 
• Function: provides business capabilities closely associated with but not expressly managed by an organization 
• Information System Services: automated components of a business service 
• Organization Unit: a self-contained resource unit having goals, objectives, and metrics 
• Technology Component: a technology infrastructure encapsulation that represents a class of technology product or a specific technology product 
• Technology Service: a technological competency necessary to offer enabling infrastructure to facilitate application delivery 
• Value Stream: an end-to-end collection of value-adding actions that provide an overall outcome for a customer, stakeholder, or end-user 

Which Section of TOGAF Document Contains a Structured Metamodel for Architectural Artifacts? 

The content metamodel specifies a collection of entities that allow architectural concepts to be recorded, saved, filtered, searched, and displayed in a consistent and traceable manner. 

At the most basic level, the content structure is separated into TOGAF ADM stages. 

Principles of TOGAF architecture deliverables, Vision, and Requirements Entities are meant to represent the context of formal architecture models, such as generic Architecture Principles, a strategic context that serves as an input for architecture modeling and needs to be created by the architecture. 

Here is a blog that explains TOGAF in data architectural way in more detail. 

What is the TOGAF Content Framework?  

• Typically, the TOGAF architecture metamodel context is gathered during the Preliminary and Architecture Vision phases. 
• Business Architecture entities capture architectural business operation models, focusing on reasons that inspire the company, how the firm is organized, and what business capabilities it possesses. 
• Information Technology Architecture entities capture IT system architecture models by examining applications and data in accordance with the TOGAF ADM stages. 
• Technology Architecture organizations collect acquired technology assets for use in implementing and realizing information system solutions. 
• Architecture Realization elements contain change roadmaps that demonstrate the transition between architecture states as well as binding statements that are used to direct and manage an architecture implementation. 

You can enrol in  ITSM training courses that can help you gain a better understanding of the TOGAF content metamodel in detail. 

Content Metamodel in Detail

1.  Core Content Metamodel explains the metamodel entities that comprise the core content metamodel.
2.  Full Content Metamodel covers the metamodel entities that contain content metamodel extensions.

Core Content Metamodel  

The below picture illustrates the metamodel entities and connections found in the core content metamodel. 

Full Content Metamodel  

When all extensions are applied to the core content metamodel, a new set of metamodel entities is created. The figure given below depicts a full content metamodel.