Overview of Functional and Configuration Model in analysis for WebApps

THE FUNCTIONAL MODEL
There are two processing elements of web application. The functional model addresses the above two elements of web application:
- user observable functionality delivered by web applications to end-users.
- operations within analysis classes that implement behavior within class.

User observable functionality encompasses processing functions initiated directly by user. These functions are implemented using operations within analysis classes but from end-user point of view, the function is the visible outcome.

The operations within analysis class manipulate the attributes of the class involved as class collaborate with one another to accomplish required behavior.

THE CONFIGURATION MODEL
The web application must be thoroughly tested within every browser configuration that is specified as part of configuration model.
In some cases, configuration model is not more than a list of server and client side attributes. For complex web applications, configuration complexities have an impact on analysis and design.
Client side software provides the infrastructure that enables access to the web application from user;s location.
On server side, appropriate interfaces, communication protocols and related information should be specified if web application has to access large database or inter-operates with other applications.

Architectural Design - Refining the Architecture into Components and Describing Instantiations of the System

Refining the Architecture into Components

As the software architecture is refined into components, structure of the system begins to emerge. Components of the software architecture are derived from three sources:
- the application domain
- the infrastructure domain
- the interface domain
Because analysis modeling does not address infrastructure, one should allocate sufficient design time to consider it carefully.
In order to find the components that are most suitable for refining the software architecture, you need to start by using the classes which were described in the analysis model. The analysis classes in turn are representations of business entities that architecture is trying to describe. You could also base these components on an infrastructure model rather than the business model. If you went purely by the business model, you would not be able to depict many of those infrastructure components such as database components, components used for communication etc.
Whatever interfaces are described in the architecture context diagram imply one or more specialized components that process the data that flow across the interface.

Describing Instantiations of the System

The context of the system has been represented, the archetypes indicating important abstractions are defined, the overall structure of system apparent and major software components are identified, however further refinement is necessary which is accomplished by developing an actual instantiation of architecture. The architecture is applied to a specific problem with the intent of demonstrating that the structure and components are appropriate.