Schematization of Enterprise Architecture Models for Ontology Validation

Abstract

In order to maintain agility and flexibility within competitive markets, organizations have been exploring ways of adjusting proactively to innovations, changes and complex events by use of EA concepts as a means to model their business processes and strategies. Consequently, the need to ensure appropriate validation of EA taxonomies has been considered as an essential part of these processes as the requirement ensures that business motivation relates to information systems and technological infrastructure. In this research, an approach referred to as Model Driven Validation Approach (MDVA) is introduced. MDVA allows modeling of EA with validation attributes, formalization of the validation concepts and transformation of model artifacts to ontologies. The transformation simplifies querying based on motivation and constraints. The major contributions of this work are the extension of a metamodel of Business Layer of an EAF with Validation Element and the development of EAF model to ontology transformation Approach. With this innovation, domain-driven design and object-oriented analysis concepts are applied to achieve the EAF model's validation using ontology querying methodology. Two case studies were deployed in the research using the Design Science Research approach. The produced artifacts were evaluated based on the criteria specified in the requirements of the design context with emphasis on functionality, completeness, consistency, accuracy, performance, reliability and usability.