Dragon1 Platform Glossary & EA Extensions

Here, we have listed the definitions of the terms you will encounter while working with the Dragon1 software, extended with comprehensive Enterprise Architecture and Governance concepts.

Application Object Terms

Viewer
A Dragon1 application to publish and watch visualizations in. The Viewer in Edit Mode is also used to create visualizations.

Editor
A Dragon1 application to create visualizations. (The editor is the viewer in Edit Mode).

Atlas
A set of published visualizations.

Folder
A grouping of pages.

Page
A leaf in the tree menu that points to a visualization.

Visualization
A graphical representation of a model

Visualization Template or Template
A predefined layout consisting of areas.
A template is a form, mold, or pattern used as a guide to make something.
It holds a predefined set of related shapes or entities in Dragon1 that can be instantiated by the user, such as a visualization template.

Visualization Canvas
The background of a visualization where you draw your shapes.

Layout
The positioning of areas on a visualization, in borders, layers, rows, and columns

Building Block
A building block is a stack of functionality and or technology. The purpose of building blocks is to reduce system complexity and improve performance and quality. Once a stack is built and tested, it can be rolled out anywhere.

Workboard
Een data object/dialog to easily generate any type of diagram.

Reference Data
A example set of data items. For instance, a reference business model of supermarkets.

View
A perspective on a model, an overlay of a visualization

View Template
A view template is a view that you reuse. For instance, a generic view created by someone else that you call with a parameter.

Predefined Views
A list of common views for certain templates

Viewpoint
A group of interests of a stakeholder. Often role or task-based

Visual Item
A shape/data placeholder on a visualization canvas to generate shapes dynamically based on data items in a model.

Model
A set of related entities

Metamodel
A set of related entity classes

Reference model
An abstract framework or domain-specific ontology consisting of interlinked concepts

Properties
The attributes and characteristics of an entity, shape, or object that define its behavior, appearance, and data values in the repository.

Wizard
A step-by-step interactive tool or assistant that guides users through complex or multi-stage tasks within the software.

Save
The action of storing changes made to models, visualizations, data items, or cabinets in the repository.

Export
The functionality to output data, models, or visualizations from Dragon1 into external file formats such as images, PDFs, or spreadsheets.

Code
The underlying programmatic scripts, configuration snippets, or definitions used to customize and extend models or visualizations.

Browser
The application panel or interface tool used to navigate through cabinets, folders, data items, and repositories.

Comment
A written remark left on a visualization, expressing an opinion or reaction.

Check
A validation utility or rule verification process used to test models and architectures against quality standards and consistency criteria.

Icon
A small graphical symbol representing an entity class or object type on a visualization canvas.

Iconset
A set of icons, often with coherent styling, created by the same author or group of authors, published with the same name and license, around a topic or theme.

Chatbot
An interactive virtual assistant integrated into the platform to help users answer questions and execute commands.

Dashboard
A specialized visual interface that organizes and displays key metrics, data indicators, and widgets for monitoring enterprise performance.

Taskslists
A structured overview of assigned to-dos, action items, and responsibilities that need to be completed within a project or workflow.

Theme
A theme is a group of styles for shapes, objects, and areas. A style combines shape, form, color, and font.

Architecture Canvas or Canvas
A Dragon1-specific architectural layout of areas on a canvas

Entity Class or Class
A class represents an object or a set of objects that share a common structure and behavior. It is the conceptual version of an entity. Examples of classes are: process, application, server, etc.

Entity
A subject or object with attributes or properties and methods. Examples of objects are the sales process, the CRM application, the file server, etc.

Relationship
The connection between entities or entity classes

Widget
A small, self-contained interactive component or control element embedded in dashboards and interfaces to display specific data or functionality.

Scenario
A scenario is a sequence of actions and changes based on assumptions, decisions, and events leading to business outcomes.

Animation
The technique of showing successive positions of shapes to create an illusion of movement or build-up.

Area
A region on a visualization that groups shapes/icons via a selector

Group
A number of people or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.

Application Control Terms

Account
A protected set of organization and user data. You need a login to get access to that data.

Website Menubar
The uppermost menubar on the screen (Home | Dragon1 | Products | etc…).

Applications Menubar
The menubar on the screen gives access to the web applications (Resource Center | etc.).

Button bar
A bar with buttons giving access to the functionality of the web application (New Cabinet | Open Cabinet | etc.).

Explorer Treeview
A container on the left side of the screen shows stored data items in a tree.

Data Item
A piece of the data item stored in the database.

Cabinet
On Dragon1, the data repository of an account is structured in Cabinets, Dossiers, and Folders. A cabinet is a top-level structure in a repository.

Channel
A related set of published content items.

Dossier
On Dragon1, the data repository of an account is structured in Cabinets, Dossiers, and Folders. A dossier is a sub-level structure in a Cabinet.

Dynamic Views
On Dragon1, you can create dynamic views. This means that if the underlying data for a view is updated or changes in the repository, the data shown in the view will also be updated. And if you use a view in a diagram, the data is updated as well.

Folder
On Dragon1, the data repository of an account is structured in Cabinets, Dossiers, and Folders. A folder is a sub-level structure in which data items are stored.

ePortfolio
The content you have produced and have linked to your profile.

Interactive Visualizations
An interactive visualization is a visualization that responds to user input. You may create a visualization that shows pop-up dialogs on mouseover or mouse clicks, provide links to detailed diagrams, or provide a view button to hide or show a part of a diagram.

Login
A combination of username and password to access an account and its data.

Profile
The data set identifies and describes you as a business professional.

Repository
A logical part of a database that contains data for a specific account. On Dragon1, the data in the repository is structured in Cabinets with Dossiers and Folders.

Shapes Panels
Areas at the bottom left of the screen containing shapes can be dragged to the visualization canvas.

Shape
The graphical representation (scalable vector graphic [SVG]) of an entity.

Frame (also Time Frame)
A logical grouping of shapes to make visible shapes related to time or order as a series of frames.

Layer
A logical grouping of shapes to make shapes visible or hide them as a stack of layers.

Inspector Panels
The areas on the right-hand side of the screen contain tools to change the shapes drawn on the visualization canvas.

SVG
Scalable Vector Graphics - The open standard that Dragon1 uses for web graphics.

Username
Your email address with which you log in.

Password
A secret code that is only known to you, which you use together with your username to log in.

Watch Page
The page on which a visualization created by you as a creator is published and can be commented on by visitors.

.dragon1 File

Enterprise Architecture Modeling Glossary

On this page, we have listed the terms from the Dragon1 open EA Method you will encounter throughout this guide:

Architecture
A total concept for a structure consisting of operative, decorative, and constructive concepts.

Enterprise Architecture
A total concept for an enterprise structure, consisting of operative, decorative, and constructive business and IT concepts.

Concept
An idea, an approach, a way of doing things, an abstraction of an implementation.

Element
A logical entity is part of a concept and principle of a concept.

Principle
The enforced way an entity works, producing results.

Entity Class
A logical data item type that can be stored in a folder. Humans, Products, Services, Processes, and Applications, etc. All are entity classes. You can store many types and instances of entities in a folder.

Entity
A logical data item that can be stored in a folder. A customer (human), insurance (a product), serving coffee (a service), sending invoices (a process), and CRM (application) are examples of entities. A model, view, and visualization are entities, but they are also specific entities. Every entity is always an instance of an Entity Class.

Model
A set of related entities. For example, the enterprise model of a hospital comprises entities such as humans, products, services, processes, and applications.

Meta Model
A class of models. For example, hospital enterprise models.

Viewpoint
A set of entity classes, entity types, and entity attribute values that are of interest to a certain stakeholder.

View
A filtered model based on a viewpoint (a set of entities).

Visualization
A graphical representation of a view of a model. Diagrams and presentations are types of visualizations.

Relationship
The logical connection between entities in a model.

Enterprise Architecture & Governance Extensions

On this page, we have listed additional standard Enterprise Architecture domains, governance elements, structural relations, and strategic metrics:

1. Enterprise Architecture Domains

Business Architecture
Processes, services, products, organizational units, and business capabilities that describe how the business operates.

Information / Data Architecture
Data flows, logical data models, entities, and information objects that structure the organization's information.

Application Architecture
The software landscape, integrations, application components, and software stack supporting business operations.

Technology / Infrastructure Architecture
Hardware, networks, datacenters, cloud environments, and system software underpinning the technical infrastructure.

2. Governance & Change Management

Architecture Principle
A normative guideline for designing and structuring the enterprise, defining how entities should work to produce results.

Standard
A mandatory specification or norm, such as open standards and security baselines, to which designs must conform.

Requirement
Functional and non-functional specifications and constraints that the architecture must satisfy.

Stakeholder & Concern
An individual or group with specific interests (concerns) in the enterprise structure.

Gap Analysis / Transition State
The comparative analysis between the current baseline state (As-Is) and the target state (To-Be), including the transition roadmap.

3. Advanced Structural Relationships

Realization
A relationship where one concept or entity implements, fulfills, or realizes another.

Dependency / Serving
A structural connection indicating how applications, services, or components support or depend on one another.

Aggregation / Composition
A structural grouping or part-whole relationship showing how elements are built from smaller constituent parts (e.g., a building consisting of rooms).

4. Enterprise Strategy

Goal / Objective
A long-term target or strategic outcome that the enterprise aims to achieve.

Driver / Trend
Internal or external forces (such as new regulations or digitalization) that compel the enterprise to change.

Capability
An ability or capacity that an enterprise possesses or can deploy to achieve a business outcome (e.g., teaching, billing, logistics).

Complete overview of terms

For a complete overview of terms, please check the Dragon1 Glossary page.