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What Are Metamodels?

Metamodels define the structure of your components and references through one-on-one relationships with your workspaces.

Kristine Marhilevica avatar
Written by Kristine Marhilevica
Updated over a year ago

NB: Ardoq used to be inconsistent in the wording when referring to the Metamodel by also using the term Model. This has since been fixed in the GUI, but the inconsistency still remains in the naming of the API endpoint.

What Is a Metamodel?

The metamodel shows how your component types are actually connected through references. The metamodel governs how you document and structure your information.

When you document in Ardoq, you have to create a workspace that uses a metamodel for structuring your information. There is a one-to-one relationship between metamodels and workspaces. Every metamodel is associated with one workspace and vice versa.

You can think of a metamodel as a database schema that defines the hierarchy of pages and valid relationships between the pages inside a workspace. The metamodel allows Ardoq to automatically create visualizations, as well as validate input.

If you use the “Business Process” metamodel it looks like this:

Business process metamodel

This is a basic hierarchy showing how Business Processes are the top-level “parent” and different types of steps are children of a Business Process.

See the Metamodel Editor for more information on how you can edit metamodels.

Available metamodels

The following models are available out-of-the-box:

  • Application Service

  • ArchiMate Application Layer

  • ArchiMate Business Layer

  • ArchiMate Implementation & Migration Layer

  • ArchiMate Motivation Layer

  • ArchiMate Physical Layer

  • ArchiMate Strategy Layer

  • ArchiMate Technology Layer

  • Blank Workspace

  • Business Process

  • Chapter Model

  • Role-Based Process

  • Data Flow

  • Enterprise Integration Model

  • Infrastructure

  • Requirements

  • Master Data

  • Microservice

  • Process Flow

Further Reading

If you're still scratching your head over this, reach out to us! You can do so via our website or by using the in-app chat. We're happy to help.

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