Recent Discussions
The 4+1 View Model of Architecture Explained: A Complete Guide
Building large and complex software systems is a lot like constructing a skyscraper — it needs a solid foundation, clear blueprints, and collaboration across multiple teams. In software engineering, these “blueprints” are what we call architectural views. One of the most effective and widely used frameworks for defining and organizing these views is the 4+1 View Model of Architecture, proposed by Philippe Kruchten in 1995 while working at Rational Software. This model helps architects, developers, and stakeholders visualize a software system from multiple perspectives, ensuring that technical and business needs are aligned. In this post, we’ll explore what the 4+1 View Model is, why it’s important, and how each of its five views plays a key role in building robust, maintainable, and scalable systems. https://dellenny.com/the-41-view-model-of-architecture-explained-a-complete-guide/Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) A Lightweight Governance Model for Modern Software Teams
Every software team, at some point, faces the same fundamental question: How do we make and document important architectural decisions without slowing down? Enter Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) — a lightweight, practical governance model that helps teams capture the “why” behind their technical choices. In today’s agile and DevOps-driven world, speed and autonomy are essential. Yet, without governance, projects risk drifting into chaos — with decisions lost in Slack threads, emails, or the memories of senior engineers. ADRs strike the perfect balance between freedom and control: they’re simple enough to fit into fast-paced workflows, but structured enough to maintain clarity and accountability. https://dellenny.com/architecture-decision-records-adrs-a-lightweight-governance-model-for-software-architecture/How to Refactor Legacy Solution Architectures Without Breaking Everything
If you’ve ever stared at an aging codebase and wondered, “How is this still running?”, you’re not alone. Legacy systems are the silent workhorses of many businesses — reliable, familiar, but often fragile. Refactoring or modernizing these legacy solution architectures can feel like defusing a bomb: one wrong move, and the entire system might collapse. But here’s the good news — refactoring doesn’t have to be a high-stakes gamble. With the right strategy, tools, and mindset, you can evolve your system without breaking everything in the process. In this article, we’ll explore how to safely refactor legacy architectures, maintain business continuity, and pave the way for long-term scalability. https://dellenny.com/how-to-refactor-legacy-solution-architectures-without-breaking-everything/Architecture as Code: What It Means and How to Apply It
In today’s fast-moving software world, we’ve already embraced ideas like Infrastructure as Code — where servers, networks, and environments are created through scripts instead of manual setup. But now, a new approach is gaining traction: Architecture as Code (AaC). It’s a concept that takes software architecture — the blueprint of how your system’s components interact — and turns it into something living, version-controlled, and machine-readable. In short, it treats architecture like software itself. Let’s explore what Architecture as Code actually means, why it matters, and how you can put it into practice in a realistic, human-friendly way. https://dellenny.com/architecture-as-code-what-it-means-and-how-to-apply-it/The 4+1 View Model of Architecture Explained: A Complete Guide
Building large and complex software systems is a lot like constructing a skyscraper — it needs a solid foundation, clear blueprints, and collaboration across multiple teams. In software engineering, these “blueprints” are what we call architectural views. One of the most effective and widely used frameworks for defining and organizing these views is the 4+1 View Model of Architecture, proposed by Philippe Kruchten in 1995 while working at Rational Software. This model helps architects, developers, and stakeholders visualize a software system from multiple perspectives, ensuring that technical and business needs are aligned. In this post, we’ll explore what the 4+1 View Model is, why it’s important, and how each of its five views plays a key role in building robust, maintainable, and scalable systems.Documenting Software Architecture Best Practices for Clarity and Scalability
In the fast-paced world of software development, where agility and scalability often define success, documenting software architecture is one of the most crucial yet frequently overlooked practices. While many teams prioritize building features, they sometimes underestimate the long-term value of clear, well-structured architecture documentation. However, without it, even the most brilliant software design can turn into a maintenance nightmare. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of documenting software architecture, discuss best practices, and provide guidelines, tools, and templates to help you create effective documentation that supports your team today and in the future. https://dellenny.com/documenting-software-architecture-best-practices-for-clarity-and-scalability/Technical Debt and Its Solution Understanding the Architectural Impact
In the world of software engineering, technical debt is one of those invisible burdens that grows quietly but can eventually cripple a system’s scalability, performance, and maintainability. While it may seem like a developer’s buzzword, technical debt has deep architectural implications that influence business agility, innovation, and long-term costs. This blog explores what technical debt is, how it impacts software architecture, and what strategies teams can use to manage and eliminate it effectively. https://dellenny.com/technical-debt-and-its-solution-understanding-the-architectural-impact/How to Communicate Solution Architecture to Non-Technical Stakeholders
As a solution architect, your job goes far beyond designing scalable systems or choosing the right technology stack. One of your most vital — yet often overlooked — responsibilities is communicating the solution architecture to non-technical stakeholders. Whether you’re talking to executives, business analysts, or project sponsors, these individuals care deeply about outcomes, value, and impact — not the intricacies of microservices, APIs, or Kubernetes clusters. Yet, if they don’t understand what you’re proposing and why it matters, your architecture may never see the light of day. In this article, we’ll explore proven strategies to communicate solution architecture in a way that bridges the gap between technical design and business objectives — so you can achieve buy-in, alignment, and confidence from everyone involved. https://dellenny.com/how-to-communicate-solution-architecture-to-non-technical-stakeholders/The Cost of Poor Solution Architecture Decisions
In the fast-paced world of digital transformation, where agility and innovation are prized above all, the foundation of any software system—its solution architecture—often determines success or failure. Yet, many organizations underestimate the significance of architectural decisions, treating them as a technical afterthought rather than a strategic imperative. The result? Projects that are late, over budget, riddled with technical debt, and unable to scale with the business. Poor solution architecture decisions can silently drain an organization’s finances, stifle innovation, and erode customer trust. This article explores the hidden and visible costs of poor architectural choices, how they manifest, and what organizations can do to mitigate them. https://dellenny.com/the-cost-of-poor-solution-architecture-decisions/Common Architectural Styles and When to Use Them
Choosing the right software architecture is one of the most critical decisions in any system design. A well-chosen architectural style not only determines how components interact but also influences scalability, performance, maintainability, and even team structure. Below, we’ll explore some of the most common architectural styles, their core principles, and the contexts in which each shines. https://dellenny.com/common-architectural-styles-and-when-to-use-them/Why Software Architecture Matters More Than Ever
In today’s fast-moving software world, the design of how a system is built is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s a must-have. Let’s dive into what software architecture is, why it matters more than ever, and how teams can make the most of it. https://dellenny.com/why-software-architecture-matters-more-than-ever/The Evolution of Software Architecture From Monoliths to Microservices
Software architecture has always been at the heart of technological innovation. As applications have grown in complexity, the way we design and build them has evolved dramatically. From the early days of monolithic systems to today’s distributed microservices, this evolution reflects our ongoing pursuit of scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. https://dellenny.com/the-evolution-of-software-architecture-from-monoliths-to-microservices/Understanding Architectural Layers in Software Systems
Modern software systems are complex by nature — they must handle scalability, performance, maintainability, and rapid change. To manage this complexity, architects and developers often organize their applications into architectural layers. Layered architecture provides a structured way to separate concerns, simplify maintenance, and enable scalability. In this article, we’ll explore what architectural layers are, why they matter, and how they fit together in a typical software system. https://dellenny.com/understanding-architectural-layers-in-software-systems/Architecture vs. Design Key Differences Explained
In the world of building—whether it’s a skyscraper, a software system, or a product—two terms often come up interchangeably: architecture and design. While they’re deeply connected, understanding their distinctions is essential to creating anything that’s both functional and beautiful. Let’s unpack what sets them apart—and how they work together. https://dellenny.com/architecture-vs-design-key-differences-explained/Choosing the Right Database A Practical Guide to SQL, NoSQL, Graph, and Beyond
When building an application, one of the most critical architectural choices you’ll make is the type of database you use. From structured relational systems to flexible document stores and powerful graph databases, the right choice depends on your data model, scalability needs, and business goals. Let’s break down the major types of databases and when to use each. https://dellenny.com/choosing-the-right-database-a-practical-guide-to-sql-nosql-graph/Software Architecture Frameworks A Guide to the Landscape and Their Differences
In the ever-evolving world of software engineering, architecture acts as the blueprint for building robust, scalable, and maintainable systems. But just like in urban planning or civil engineering, different contexts demand different approaches. That’s where software architecture frameworks come into play. They provide standardized methods, principles, and models for describing, designing, and evolving complex software systems. This blog explores some of the most widely recognized software architecture frameworks, how they differ, and how to choose the right one for your project. https://dellenny.com/software-architecture-frameworks-a-guide-to-the-landscape-and-their-differences/Software Architecture Frameworks and Artificial Intelligence Building Smarter Systems
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how we think about software systems. It’s no longer enough for applications to just work—they must learn, adapt, and scale in ways that traditional architectures weren’t originally designed for. This is where software architecture frameworks intersect with AI, providing structure, governance, and adaptability to increasingly intelligent systems. https://dellenny.com/software-architecture-frameworks-and-artificial-intelligence-building-smarter-systems/MLOps Architectures Building Scalable AI Systems
Artificial intelligence is no longer just about building models in a research environment. To create real-world impact, machine learning (ML) models must be deployed, monitored, and continuously improved in production. That’s where MLOps (Machine Learning Operations) comes in. Much like DevOps revolutionized software delivery, MLOps focuses on streamlining the end-to-end lifecycle of ML systems—from data ingestion to model deployment, monitoring, and retraining. At the heart of any successful MLOps implementation lies its architecture. The architecture defines how data, models, infrastructure, and teams interact to support scalable, reliable, and reproducible ML workflows. https://dellenny.com/mlops-architectures-building-scalable-ai-systems/
Setting Up SCD Type 2 using "Variable to set date values"
I am creating an SCD type 2 dimension and using start and end dates to identify current and expired records. In my destination table, there are start date and end date columns. I am unable to select the variable to set date values in the SSIS package. When I click in the "Variable to set date values" box, I don't see a drop-down to select my system variables from. I want to use the System::ContainerStartTime. Do you think this is something I need to configure in the SSIS package? If so, how?
Recent Blogs
- In Azure Data Factory, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) involves transferring Data Factory pipelines across different environments such as development, test, UAT and production. This proce...Nov 13, 2024
- 4 MIN READIntegrating database development into continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) workflows is the best practice for Azure SQL managed instance database projects. Automating the process ...Nov 07, 2024
