ArchiMate Metamodel

Technology functions and other technology behavior may be triggered or interrupted by a technology event. Also, technology functions may raise events that trigger other infrastructure behavior. Unlike processes, functions, and interactions, an event is instantaneous: it does not have duration. Events may originate from the environment of the organization, but also internal events may occur generated by, for example, other devices within the organization.

A technology event may have a time attribute that denotes the moment or moments at which the event happens. For example, this can be used to model time schedules; e.g., to model an event that triggers a recurring infrastructure function such as making a daily backup.

A technology event may trigger or be triggered (raised) by a technology function, process, or interaction. A technology event may access a data object and may be composed of other technology events. The name of a technology event should preferably be a verb in the perfect tense; e.g., "message received".