AKA High Level Design (HDL)
Top level overview / structure
Does not cover Interior part of that structure

Representation

Construction and presentation:

Architecture Context Diagram

  • Same as a UCD
  • Not UML
  • System Boundary and external actors etc.

Architecture Styles

Data Centered

Data Sharing
Central source of information

Client Server

A central server or component serves to other clients

Peer to Peer

Any node can act as a server or a client

Data Flow

More of like DFD
Special case: Batch Sequential

Layer Tiered

Layer wise structure
No bypassing but communication allowed
Changing layers does not allows structure of others layer to be changed

Call and Return

Calling is from top to down
Returning is from bottom to top
Decreased Abstraction from top to bottom

Insight

We use the structured design pattern to map out our Analysis phase diagram into a software architecture which could follow any architecture style.

Structured Design

Transform Flow

  • Over-all data flow is sequential and flows along a small number of straight line paths.

Transaction Flow

  • A single data item triggers information flow along one of many paths.

Overall we have the transform flow but within the action paths of the transform flow we have the transaction flow.