Relationships Overview

Relationships are the connective tissue of your architecture model — they describe how objects interact, depend on, or support each other.

Why Relationships Matter

• Trace impact — when an application fails, which business capabilities does it affect?
• Build dependency matrices — which applications are most depended-upon?
• Run gap analysis — where are the missing links in your architecture?
• Generate reports — capability maps, application landscapes, technology radar

Relationship Directions

Every relationship has a source (the originating object) and a target (the receiving object). Direction matters:

• serves — Application → Business Capability (app supports the capability)
• uses — Application A → Application B (A calls B)
• realizes — Application → Technology Service (app runs on infrastructure)

Where to Find Relationships

• Relationships tab on any object detail page
• Relationship Matrix (Diagrams → Matrix View)
• Impact Analysis (Diagrams → Impact Analysis)

Relationship Types in DesignFoundry

See Relationship Types for the full list of built-in and custom relationship types.