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User Documentation

Systems Category

Overview

The Systems category represents the technical architecture and implementation layer of your organization. It maps how technology implements your business components and capabilities.

Hierarchy

graph TD SL[System Landscape
Technology portfolio] --> System[System
Application/Service] System --> Module[System Module
Functional component] Module --> Feature[Feature
User capability] Module --> DataObject[Data Object
Data structure] style SL fill:#e1f5ff style System fill:#fff4e1 style Module fill:#ffe1f5 style Feature fill:#e1ffe1 style DataObject fill:#ffe1e1

Element Types

1. System Landscape

  • Purpose: Groups related systems into a portfolio or landscape view
  • Children: Systems
  • Examples: "Customer-Facing Systems", "Backend Infrastructure", "Analytics Platform"
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

2. System

  • Purpose: Represents an application, service, or software system
  • Parent: System Landscape
  • Children: System Modules
  • Attributes: Name, description, URL, technology stack
  • Examples: "Order Management System", "Customer Portal", "Payment Service"
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

3. System Module

  • Purpose: Represents a functional component or module within a system
  • Parent: System
  • Children: Features and Data Objects
  • Attributes: Name, description, responsibilities
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

4. Feature

  • Purpose: Represents a specific user-facing capability or function
  • Parent: System Module
  • Attributes: Name, description, feature type
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

5. Data Object

  • Purpose: Represents data structures, entities, or domain models managed by the module
  • Parent: System Module
  • Attributes: Name, description, schema definition
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

Connections to Other Categories

→ Components

Systems implement Contexts. Multiple systems can implement a single context, and a system can support multiple contexts.

graph LR Context[Bounded Context] -.implements.-> System[System] Context2[Another Context] -.implements.-> System System --> Module[Modules & Features]

📖 Learn more: Components Category →

→ Processes

Systems execute steps in business Processes. Process activities are performed by system features.

📖 Learn more: Processes Category →

→ Actors

Actors interact with Systems through interfaces (UI, API, etc.)

📖 Learn more: Actors Category →

System Types

Systems can be categorized by actor type:

  • API Systems: Expose programmatic interfaces
  • UI Systems: Provide user interfaces
  • Database Systems: Manage data persistence
  • Service Systems: Provide backend processing
  • Integration Systems: Connect external systems

Usage Guidelines

  1. Create landscapes to organize your systems portfolio
  2. Define systems for each major application or service
  3. Break down into modules for functional areas within systems
  4. Document features for user-visible capabilities
  5. Model data objects to understand data flows and dependencies

Architecture Patterns

  • Microservices: Many small, focused systems
  • Modular Monolith: Single system with clear module boundaries
  • Service-Oriented: Systems communicating via well-defined interfaces