In the application system type diagram, you can assign specific application systems and modules to the application system types and module types described in the design specification. Application systems are specimens of an application system type that exist in the company and can be uniquely identified, for example, by the license numbers.

An application system (module) is an individual specimen of an application system type (module type), which can be uniquely identified, for example, by the license number.

Application systems and modules are displayed graphically as follows.

As a company may have more than one license for an application system type (module type), more than one application system (module) can be assigned to an application system type (module type) in the application system diagram.

The application system diagram shows the actual modular structure of an application system. While the design specification lists all modular components that an application system type may have, here we are dealing with a single application system license so that the modular components can be uniquely defined for each license. Therefore, a company may have multiple application systems of the same application system type, but with completely different modular structures.

The implementation level not only represents all existing application systems and modules, but also enables the technical (physical) implementation of application systems to be defined in the form of individual program files.

The application system type diagram illustrates which program module types are required to implement an application system type or module type.

A program module is a program file on a storage medium obtained by purchasing a license (for example, an EXE file or COM file). A program module type is created by typifying program modules that are based on precisely the same technology.

The following figure illustrates the assignment of program module types to an application system type and of individual program modules to program module types.

The ARIS Architect application system type consists of the arisarchitect.exe, dbbase.dll, abaris.dll, and ATAexpl.dll program module types. Multiple specimens (program modules) of each program module type may exist in the company if several licenses were purchased or if backup copies were created.

Program module types and program modules can be arranged in any hierarchy. For a more precise technological specification of the program it is possible to also represent the access of program module types to program libraries in the application system type diagram.

A list of object types and relationships that are available in an application system type diagram is provided in the ARIS Method – Tables manual (ARIS Method tables.pdf) on your installation media.