Concept: Reusable Asset |
A cohesive collection of artifacts that solves a specific software development problem, created with the intent of reuse.
Relationships
Related Elements | Detail Component Model Envision the Architecture Outline Component Model Reference Architecture
Main Description
A reusable software asset is any cohesive collection of artifacts that solves a specific problem or set of problems encountered in the software development life cycle. A reusable asset is created with the intent of reuse. The asset may have a variability point, which is a location in the asset that may have a value provided or customized by the asset consumer. The asset has rules for usage, which are instructions describing how the asset should be used. [OMG] Assets can be broadly categorized in terms of their level of implementation: No implementation. These assets have no implementation, and are represented in an abstract form (such as a model or document). Such assets include architectural patterns, design patterns, architectural mechanisms, architectural styles, and reference architectures. Partial implementation. These assets are considered partial implementations, but have a variability point and require additional elements before they can be instantiated. Such assets include frameworks and packaged applications. Complete implementation. These assets are considered to be complete implementations, and can be instantiated as-is, without modification. Such assets include components, component libraries, and legacy systems. The Reusable Asset Specification (RAS) defines a standard way to package reusable software assets. A reusable asset packaged following this standard has a set of files that implement the solution, and a structured set of meta information that defines and describes the reusable asset as a whole. The specification includes assets that are UML models, source code, binary code, test cases, requirements, and so on. For more information, see Understanding Architectural Assets: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/sep07/eeles/index.html
More Information
Concepts | Architectural Pattern Component Reference Architecture
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