Validator User Guide

The European Library of Architecture Principles (ELAP) and the ELAP Validator are intended to direct government organisations in initiating changes and implementing IT projects. Particularly when designing new or modified services, it is necessary to make visible how the principles are implemented and which considerations are made in this regard. The comply-or-explain principle applies here, whereby deviations are permitted, provided they are substantiated and recorded with good arguments whereby they can be revisited at a later stage. This prevents important matters from being overlooked.

The ELAP and the ELAP Validator are intended to be used by architects (system architects, enterprise architects) involved in IT change programs to guide for making correct design decisions. Furthermore, the use of both solutions will help identify the right sources and allow for proper contextualisation when arriving at decision-making points in architecture and design.

Policymakers are served by ELAP and the ELAP Validator to ensure that accepted or accepted solutions comply with the recommended frameworks. They are also served by endorsing decisions that further proliferate interoperability between organisations at all levels (Legal, Organisational, Semantical, and Technological) thus the effective and efficient use of resources.

The ELAP Validator is a comprehensive tool developed to address a variety of needs in the design and implementation of interoperability solutions within public institutions in Europe. Stemming from the foundation laid by ELAP, the Validator is designed to align with, and further the goals of, interoperability programs, ensuring that systems and solutions are not only compliant with European Frameworks but also efficient and effective. Below are the key purposes of the ELAP Validator:

Quality Control:
- Ensures that SATs and Solutions meet the necessary quality standards to implement and support all European Frameworks on interoperability, such as the EIF.
Guidance and Decision Support:
- Provides guidance for architects involved in IT change programs and aids in proper contextualization at decision-making points in architecture and design.
Policy Compliance and Endorsement:
- Assists policymakers in ensuring solutions comply with recommended frameworks and supports decisions enhancing interoperability between organizations.
Automation and Efficiency:
- Offers automated methods for users to self-assess their ongoing work, reducing time investment and adding granularity to validation procedures.
Support for Interoperability:
- Aligns with the goals of ELAP and European interoperability programs, fulfilling interoperability requirements and ensuring alignment with various frameworks.
Implementation through ITestBed:
- Utilizes the Interoperability TestBed (ITestBed) for providing automated assessment capabilities.

In essence, the ELAP Validator is a pivotal asset for public institutions in Europe, enabling them to achieve interoperability, comply with frameworks, and make informed design decisions while optimizing resources.

The library: the ELAP includes its online documentation where the user can read the different principles, definitions and rationales as well as context for the solution.
The library in archimate: the ELAP is available through the CarTool archiplugin, which allows users to check it and include architecture principles into models. It also can be downloaded at the CAMSS repository here (insert link)
The Interoperability TestBed: the validator can be accessed here.

The rules outlined below form the foundation for modelling ELAP principles. They aim to establish a series of assertions with which any model incorporating architecture principles must comply. The ELAP validator is fully aligned with EIRA’s methodologies, ensuring consistency in the use, implementation, and role of architecture principles.

ELAP-000: ArchiMate syntax validation (XSD).

The ArchiMate syntax validation is focused on the basics, this business rule validates if the XML file to be validated is conformant with ArchiMate syntax.

Assertion: Models MUST be conformant with ArchiMate syntax

Principle Name: ArchiMate syntax validation (XSD).
Applies to: All.
Severity: Error
Message: XSD validation errors.

ELAP-001: Completeness principle

The Completeness Principle focus on the fact that all ELAP Architecture Principles need to be modelled when producing a Solution Architecture Template or a Solution.

Adding all ELAP principles in the creation of SATs or Solutions will ensure that outcomes have a comprehensive view and comply with IoP frameworks at all levels: legal, organisational, semantic, and technical.

Assertion: All APs MUST be modelled

Principle Name: Completeness principle.
Applies to: All.
Severity: Error
Message: [ELAP-001] Architecture principle 'XYZ' must be defined in the model.

ELAP-002: Archi notation compliance principle

This Archi notation compliance Principle ensures that the Archi specification is followed and then, its modelling rules are guiding the implementation and creation of SATs and solutions models.

Assertion: APs MUST be modelled as an ArchiMate class ‘principle’.

Principle Name: Archi notation compliance principle.
Applies to: All.
Severity: Warning.
Message: [ELAP-002] Element 'XYZ' must be defined as an ArchiMate 'Principle' (actual is 'ABC').

ELAP-003: No-orphan elements principle, Comply or explain principle

The Comply or explain Principle provides flexibility by allowing Software Architects to not include principles if they provide the reason for not including certain AP. Note that this business rule and the following one is managed as one by the validator.

Assertion: If APs are not modelled, they MUST be commented in the Architecture view together with the reasons why are not included (as ArchiMate ‘note’).

Principle Name: No-orphan elements principle, Comply or explain principle.
Applies to: All.
Severity: Error.
Message: [ELAP-003] 'XYZ' must be associated with at least one element in the model, not being a 'principle'. If the principle is not used, associate it to a note (Archi “note” element).

ELAP-004: Salient Alignment Principle

The Salient Alignment Principle is focused on validating the associations between Architecture Principles and Architecture Building Blocks from EIRA©. Users will not receive error messages here, instead, the feedback will be message warnings.

Assertions: APs SHOULD be modelled and associated mainly with the ABBs they are mapped to.

Principle Name: Salient Alignment Principle.
Applies to: SAT.
Severity: Warning.
Message: [ELAP-004] Architecture principle 'XYZ' must be modelled and related to the correct ABB. (List ABBs mapped)

ELAP-005: Specific implementation Solution

The Specific Implementation Solution Principle aims to check if the implementation of SBB is done according to the mappings between ELAP Architecture Principles and Architecture Building Blocks from EIRA©.

Assertion: APs SHOULD be modelled and associated mainly with the SBB that are the same type as the ABBs they mapped to.

Principle Name: Specific implementation Solution.
Applies to: All
Severity: Warning.
Message: [ELAP-005] Architecture principle 'XYZ' must be modelled and related to the correct SBBs. (List ABBs mapped)

Architecture Principles need to be modelled following the rule “ELAP-003: Archi notation compliance principle”. For that purpose, there is the CarTool, which is a plugin that includes amongst other libraries, the ELAP.

The guidelines to get started with the CarTool can be found here.

By using the CarTool, the user ensures that the principles are included following and reaching the standards from ELAP. Which means: not stereotyping elements and reusing principles’ properties.

The mappings can be checked in the following archimate file. Please note that you can find the following inside the .archimate:

A global view (model) representing ELAP. Includes all principles classified by category;

1 model per LOST view including all the principles that influence the ABBs in each view

1 folder per LOST view with different diagram models per principle linked to the EIRA ABBs

Below you will find a few steps on how to use the CarTool provided by the EIRA action:

1. First of all, activate EIRA support to use the CarTool:

2. Access the ELAP through the Cartool navigation panel:

3. The panel will open where all principles are listed:

4. With the ELAP opened, then, the user can select one principle from the list, do right click and select “Architecture Principle To model”

5. Once the user has included the principle in the model, and other ABBs or SBB are already in place, it is time to link them. To be compliant, the elements need to be associated. The relationship to be used is the association, as shown in the following image:

6. After doing the relationship, an optional action is to adjust it, by directing it. To depict the influence from principle to architecture building block. This step is not mandatory for the validation, however, it facilitates the understanding of the model.

The following image is how it would look "basic" relationship to be conformant with the ELAP Validator business rules:

Once the user has finished the model (SAT or Solution) can validate if is following the ELAP logic for modelling principles in the following link.

The validator has the layout shown in the image below:

As mentioned throughout the guide, there are two possible validations. It can be selected from the "Validate as", where the following options will appear: