体系架构（Enterprise Architecture, EA）的开山之作，之前一直引用，从来没有系统的学习，通过翻译加深理解，与感兴趣的朋友一起学习探讨。基于不同类型描述的类比，作者提出了信息系统不同类型的描述。
翻译中自己理解的东西加的比较多，不对的地方大家多多指正。
除了表3列举出的“描述”内容，还有其他的描述没有在表中描述。“材料描述”说明了“是什么”（what），“功能描述”说明了“如何工作”（How），“位置描述”说明了“位置拓扑”（where）。一般来说，产品描述还应该包括：“谁”（Who）、“何时”（when）和“为什么”（why）。仅仅包含前三种描述，对于本次要讨论的信息系统体系结构已经足够复杂，本文的其余部分将仅限于表3中所包含的三种描述，对其他三类描述留待以后讨论。为了将来的参考，附录A包含了一个初步的，类似于表3的关于人(谁)、时间(何时)和动机(为什么)的描述说明。
The“description” row of Table 3 suggests that there likely are additionaldescriptions not characterized in the table as the material descriptionaddresses “WHAT,” the functional description addresses “HOW,” and the locationdescription addresses “WHERE.” The implications are that there must be at least“WHO,” “WHEN,” and “WHY” descriptions as well. Discussion of these additionaltypes of descriptions is reserved for the future, since using only threedifferent descriptions introduces considerable complexity into the subject ofinformation systems architecture at this time. Therefore, the remainder of thispaper will be limited to the three types of descriptions contained in Table 3.For future reference, Appendix A is included and contains a preliminary, Table3-like characterization of the additional descriptive types related to people(who), time (when), and motivation (why).
基于前面对架构过程中不同参与者具有不同观点的分析，类比信息系统的架构描述，对应一个信息系统也有不同类型的架构描述。如下所示：
As was the case with the earlier idea regarding the different perspectives of the different participants in the architecture process, once again it is straightforward to identify the information systems analogs for the elements of the second idea, that is, the different types of descriptions for the same object, as follows:
a. 信息系统术语中的功能描述被称为过程（或功能）模型，描述模型一般被抽象为“输入-过程-输出”。
a. Functional description-Ininformation systems terms this would likely be called a process (or afunctional) model, and the descriptive representation would be called the sameas the general case, “input-process-output.”
b、 一般来说，原料描述用来描述“产品是由什么组成的”，对于信息系统，原料就是数据。因此在信息系统术语中，原料描述对应数据模型。相应的，在数据术语中，“零件-关系-零件”的描述模型变成“实体-关系-实体”。而数据模型相当于信息系统产品的物料清单。
b. Material description-Generallyspeaking, the material description describes the “stuff the thing is made of,”which in the case of information systems is data. Therefore, in informationsystems terms, the analog for the material description would be a data model,and in the data vernacular, “part-relationship-part” would become“entity-relationship-entity.’’ The data model is the equivalent of thebill-of-materials for the information systems product.
c、 位置描述在信息系统中，对应为网络模型，重点描述各个组件之间的通信流（连接）。在信息系统网络术语中，“设备-连接-设备”将成为“节点-链接-节点”
c. Location description-Ininformation systems, this would likely be called the network model, in whichthe focus is on the flows (connections) between the various components. In theinformation systems network vernacular, “site-link-site” would become “node-line-node.”
类似表3列出的产品的不同类型描述，表4列举出一个信息系统一般性的描述。
Therefore, the rows of Table 4, whichconstitute the analogs in information systems for the more generic types ofdescriptions, could be added to Table 3.
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