Features of Architecture Description Languages

SEI Report
This 1995 whitepaper provides an overview of Architecture description languages (ADLs), an emerging notation for software architecture models.
Publisher

Software Engineering Institute

Abstract

The characteristic approach in mature engineering disciplines (e.g. civil and chemical engineering) is to build systems (e.g., buildings or chemical plants) from known solutions such as proven designs and existing components. Engineers in mature disciplines also put great emphasis on proactively avoiding costly problems by evaluating the system before it is built. Models of the system's architecture are important tools for applying known solutions and doing early evaluation in mature engineering disciplines. In software engineering, the corollary is modeling the software architecture.

Cite This SEI Report

Clements, P., & Kogut, P. (1995, April 1). Features of Architecture Description Languages. Retrieved August 15, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/.

@techreport{clements_1995,
author={Clements, Paul and Kogut, Paul},
title={Features of Architecture Description Languages},
month={Apr},
year={1995},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Aug-15}
}

Clements, Paul, and Paul Kogut. "Features of Architecture Description Languages." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, April 1, 1995. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/.

P. Clements, and P. Kogut, "Features of Architecture Description Languages," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 1-Apr-1995 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/. [Accessed: 15-Aug-2026].

Clements, Paul, and Paul Kogut. "Features of Architecture Description Languages." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Apr. 1995. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Clements, Paul; & Kogut, Paul. Features of Architecture Description Languages. Software Engineering Institute. 1995. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/features-of-architecture-description-languages/