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Apologies if my question is unclear/so stupid ..but please help me to resolve this confusion

I am reading TOGAF V9.1 Content Meta Model and would like to know below

1) I understand, every step of TOGAF adds and consumes content and it needs a content repository, but why a Content Framework is needed?

2) A Framework I believe is supposed to have a method to manipulate the input and produce an output, but this Content Framework appears to be prescribing just a static relationship between entities/artifacts and nothing else?

3) Does it exist only to help any Content repository Tools to classify the Content, possibly by folder hierarchies (for instance) like below? If yes how does just a prescribed static classification adds value, as the architect can relate the artifacts produced from each step , even if this Content Meta Model classification does not exist?

please help

Example Content repository hierarchy

Organization

->Motivation extension

--->Driver

--->Goal

--->Objective

->Governance extension

-->Measure

Thanks, Tarriq

Tarriq
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1 Answers1

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I think you are mixing-up two concepts :

The TOGAF "Architecture Repository" is a very general term, which encompasses much more than the Meta Model. It contains :
- the Meta Model aka. "Content Framework" aka. ACF, wich is partitioned in a "Core" part and 6 "Extensions". This is the hierarchy you are showing.
- the SIB (Standard Information Base) : a whole range of industry-standards, such as W3C's HTML4, the ISO14882 specs of the C++ language, the full TCP/IP specs, etc.. A less useful content.
- the "Architecture Landscape" : some enterprise-specific documentation about existing, past or planned architectures
- a repository of generic reusable solutions
- etc..

The TOGAF "Architecture Content Framework" (ACF) aka. "Meta Model" is something very specific: it defines the attributes of the Building Blocks, which is an UML-like set of generic "things": a database, a service, an "actor" (a person or a whole partner corporation), an application, a messaging system, a Content Management solution, etc..
As you can see, the "Meta Model" is only a small part of the more general Architecture Repository.
Note that the ACF Meta Model ACF framework is by no way mandatory: it is perfectly valid to use the TOGAF ADM methodology with, say, the Zachman framework.

Arnaud-86
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