Extensional Domain Concept

  In complex scenarios it is hard to keep the overview even with the help of environmental models. To reduce the number of elements, resp. to restrict the model to currently interesting parts, the concept of domains is introduced as addition to the modeling concepts presented above to provide a simple means to structure models hierarchically. This allows to provide an overview on higher, e.g., business process oriented levels, and enhances visualization and understandability for the IT-managers working with them-- without abandoning details on lower levels needed for proper diagnosis. Graphical user interfaces of management tools will typically be capable of unfolding domains and of generating and presenting a model including underlying objects, resp. to navigate into submodels.

Domains are represented by only one element in the model, but stand for (and may be expanded to) collections of:

The selection of domains depends on the management purpose. Possible criteria are:

As domains obviously are an important concept, the architecture presented in section is able to generate models that include domain elements and submodels. [#!ghw99!#] presents further details on the subject of domains.