How can EIRA be used in ArchiMate Diagrams?

Issue raised by Mads Hjorth: Clarify how EIRA can be used in combination with ArchiMate® to make diagrams. Several user scenarios are possible.

Solution:

ArchiMate and EIRA can be used to create views (diagrams) of Architecture Building Blocks and Solution Building Blocks referring to the EIRA ABBs.This can be achieved in three ways:

1. Using realisation relationships: This option entails a model where there is a realisation relationship between EIRA ABBs and SBBs. This option allows visualising the link between and ABB and an SSB. It also allows to relalte multiple ABBs (or ABBS from other reference architectures) to one SBB. A drawback is that realisations relationships can make the diagram quite overloaded. Also, it is only possible to have realization realisationships between certain ABBs (e.g. between a service and a component, or between a service and a business process), and never between the same model concepts.
2. Using attributes: This option entails adding attributes to model elements, for example an attribute-value: "EIRA_ABB := 'Identity Management Component'. The benefit of this option would be that it is easy to link model elements to multiple reference architectures, including EIRA. The drawback of this option is that there is no way of visualising attributes in a diagram.
3. Using stereotypes: This option would entail using an ArchiMate concept to draw a solution type, and adding a stereotype to it. (e.g. <<Identity Management Component>>. The benefit of this option would be that the corresponding ABB can be directly visualised in a view.  The drawback would be that most ArchiMate tools do not support stereotypes.

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