Retail data framework - An architectural introduction

Part 1 - An architectural introduction

This article launches a new series exploring a retail architecture. It's focusing on presenting access to ways of mapping successful implementations for specific use cases.

It's an interesting challenge creating architectural content based on common customer adoption patterns. That's very different from most of the traditional marketing activities usually associated with generating content for the sole purpose of positioning products for solutions. When you're basing the content on actual execution in solution delivery, you're cutting out the chuff. 

What's that mean?

It means that it's going to provide you with a way to implement a solution using open source technologies by focusing on the integrations, structures and interactions that actually have been proven to work. What's not included are any vendor promises that you'll find in normal marketing content. Those promised that when it gets down to implementation crunch time, might not fully deliver on their promises.

Enter the term Portfolio Architecture. 

Let's look at these architectures, how they're created and what value they provide for your solution designs.

Real-time stock control - Example stock control architecture

Part 3 - Example architecture

In our previous article from this series shared a look at the logical common architectural elements found in a real-time stock control solution for retail organisations.

The process was laid out how we've approached the use case and how portfolio solutions are the base for researching a generic architecture. 

It continued by laying out the process of how we've approached the use case by researching successful customer portfolio solutions as the basis for a generic architecture.

Having completed our discussions on the logical view of the architecture, it's now time to look at a specific example.

This article walks you through an example stock control scenario showing how expanding the previously discussed elements provides an example for your own stock control scenarios.

DevConf.US 2021 - Containers, OpenShift, architecture blueprints, and diagram tooling

DevConf.US 2021 has kicked off their call for papers this last month and of course it will be a virtual event (hopefully for this one last time) hosted on September 2-3. It's the 4th annual, free, Red Hat sponsored technology conference for community project and professional contributors to Free and Open Source technologies coming to a web browser near you!

There is no admission or ticket charge for DevConf.US events. However, you are required to complete a free registration. Talks, presentations and workshops will all be in English.

I've put together the following collection of talks as my submissions and happy to preview them here with you.

Real-time stock control - Common architectural elements

Part 2 - Common elements

In our previous article from this series we introduced a use case around real-time stock control for retail stores.

The process was laid out how we've approached the use case and how portfolio solutions are the base for researching a generic architecture. 

The only thing left to cover was the order in which you'll be led through the details.

This article starts the real journey at the very top, with a generic architecture from which we'll discuss the common architectural elements one by one.

This will start our journey into the logical elements that make up the real-time stock control architecture.

Real-time stock control - An architectural introduction

Part 1 - Architectural introduction

This article launches a new series exploring a retail architecture. It's focusing on presenting access to ways of mapping successful implementations for specific use cases.

It's an interesting challenge creating architectural content based on common customer adoption patterns. That's very different from most of the traditional marketing activities usually associated with generating content for the sole purpose of positioning products for solutions. When you're basing the content on actual execution in solution delivery, you're cutting out the chuff. 

What's that mean?

It means that it's going to provide you with a way to implement a solution using open source technologies by focusing on the integrations, structures and interactions that actually have been proven to work. What's not included are any vendor promises that you'll find in normal marketing content. Those promised that when it gets down to implementation crunch time, might not fully deliver on their promises.

Enter the term Portfolio Architecture. 

Let's look at these architectures, how they're created and what value they provide for your solution designs.