Document the application's information flows

Information flows exchange business data between applications. For each information flow, one application is considered the source of the information flow and the other application is considered the target of the information flow. The number of information flows that an application is associated with helps the application architect determine the complexity of the application, potential redundancies among applications, and the effort involved in migrating or replacing an application.

An application can be a source of an outgoing information flow and the target of an incoming information flow. Neither the source nor the target application of an information flow can have its object state set to Retired. The application may have an unlimited number of incoming and outgoing information flow. The naming convention for information flows is: <Source Application> > <Target Application>.

In the data table, click the navigate  button of the application you want to define. Go to the Information Context page and open and scroll to the Information Flows view and open it. You can do one of the following:

• Click New > Create Incoming Information Flow if the application you are working with is the target of the information flow.In the selector, select the application that is the source of the information flow and click OK.
• Click Create Outgoing Information Flow if the application you are working with is the source of the information flow. In the selector, select the application that is the target of the information flow and click OK.

Specify the basic data about the information flow. Select the checkbox   for the information flow you want to edit and click the Edit   button to open the edit panel. All mandatory fields must be defined to create the information flow and save it.

• Short Name: (Optional) Define a short abbreviated name to display on the information flow in diagrams and business graphics.
• Version: (Mandatory) Enter the version number. The version number should be unique.
• Object State: (Optional) The object state describes the use of the information flow in the real world. The information flow's object state may only be defined as active if its source and target applications also have an active object state.The information flow must have a retired object state if either the source or target application has a retired state. Possible values are:
  • Plan: The information flow is proposed to be used and still in the stages of planning and building.
  • Active: The information flow is currently and used now. The active period begins with the information flow's start date and ends with the end date.
  • Retired: The information flow is no longer used.
• Release Status: (Optional) This is an approval status and typically indicates the level of quality of the information about the information flow. The release status determines whether an information flow can or cannot be deleted. Possible values are:
  • Draft: The information flow has only mandatory data defined.
  • Under Review: The information flow is documented and being reviewed. An information flow with this release status cannot be deleted.
  • Approved: The information flow has been approved by the responsible stakeholders. An information flow cannot be deleted when it has an approved release status. An information flow with this release status cannot be deleted.
  • Data imported: The data regarding this information flow has been imported from an external system. Additional changes may be required to improve the data quality. An information flow with this release status can be deleted.
  • Trash: The information flow is no longer valid and can be deleted.
• Start Date and End Date: (Mandatory) The start and end date captures the period when the information flow is actively running and can be used in the company. This is also when the Object State attribute should be specified as Active. Click the calendar icon to select the date or enter the date in the date format Month/Day/Year. For example: 4/30/2023
• From (Source) and To (Target) (Optional): You can change the source or target of the information flow to a (local) component that has been defined for the source or target application. The component name will be displayed in parenthesis behind the application in the information flow name.

  component

  A standard component is a reusable block of functionality that provides technical functionality to an application or to the platforms that an application runs on. Components do not usually provide functionality to end users. Typical components are operating systems, database management systems, or application servers. A component that is used in an application's platform is a local component and is not is reusable.

• Connection details: (Optional) Specify the connection type , connection method , connection frequency , and connection data format for the information flow.

  connection type

  A connection type describes the mode of transfer used by a specific information flow when transmitting business data between two associated applications or their respective components. Examples include batch and online.

  connection method

  A connection method describes the method of transfer used by a specific information flow to transfer business data between the two associated applications or their respective components. Examples include TCP/IP, file transfer, message queue.

  connection frequency

  A connection frequency describes how often a specific information flow is used to transfer business data between the two associated applications or their respective components. Examples include daily, monthly.

  connection data format

  A connection data format describes the data format used for the transfer of business data via a specific information flow. Examples include ASCII, XML.

• Description: Enter a meaningful description that will clarify the purpose of the information flow.
• Authorized Access: As the creator of the information flow, you are automatically defined as the authorized user per default. The authorized user of the information flow can be changed. You can also define any authorized user group that should have Read/Write access permissions to the information flow.

  authorized user

  An authorized user has primary responsibility to maintain the data for an object. Typically this is the user that has created the object. The authorized user as well as members of authorized user groups have write permissions to objects they are responsible for.

  authorized user group

  An authorized user group is a set of users that have been granted write permissions to an object. More than one authorized user group may be specified for an object.

Specify the responsibilities and indicators for the information flow. You can define the roles and evaluate indicators for the information flow. In the data table, click the navigate   button of the information flow you want to define. Go to the Overview page and scroll to the Responsibilities and Evaluations views.