Prestwood Software Architecture (PSA)

A software architecture standard documents common architectures. A software architecture helps software architects explore various solutions and design a better architecture for the software systems they are building. It both outlines common architectures and gives standards and suggestions for implementing them.

About Architectural Types, Patterns, and Solutions

An architectural type is a general description of a category of architectures. An architectural pattern provides a proven architecture that address a specific need. An architectural solution applies an architectural pattern to a project. These types, patterns, and solutions can include any architecture the team or firm is able to build and may include the following architectures:

Architectural Types:

An architectural type is a general description of a category of architectures.

• Internal Quality Single-User Database Application
• Internal Quality Multi-User Database Application
• Internal Quality High Transaction SQL-based Database Application
• Commercial Quality Single User Database Application
• Commercial Quality Multi-User Database Application
• Commercial Quality High Transaction SQL-based Database Application
• Hand held single user database application

Architectural Patterns:

Like design patterns, an architectural pattern provides a proven architecture that address a specific need. Prestwood uses many existing and proven architecture patterns including the following:

• Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF)
• Many others...

Architectural Solutions:

An architectural solution implements an architectural pattern. It specifies ALL the specific design details including target platform, design tools, development tools, and architectural level coding techniques.

• Delphi 7 to MS-SQL 2000 to build an Internal Quality High Transaction SQL-based Database Application.
• Visual Studio.Net 2005 to MS-SQL 2005 to build an Internal Quality High Transaction SQL-based Database Application.
• ASPSuite - For building member websites. A framework that utilizes ASP to Access (.MDB) or MS-SQL 2000 that has 11 pre-built modules written generically to apply to most businesses and can be easily expanded.
• DotNet Nuke - For building content based websites.
• Many others...

How we Apply Proven Architectures to YOUR Project

It is TOO common for a developer to WANT to build a web app, or a Web Service, or use some new and cool tool. With PSDP, the tiger team explores various solutions during the General Design phase. This includes exploring what architectural type is right for your project and documenting 1 or more specific architectures and each architectures pros and cons. Our developers are aware of the various best practice architectures commonly used and with the guidelines of PSDP keep an open mind and explore various solutions during the General Design phase.

If we're performing maintenance coding, then we strive to "fit in" to the current architecture and can even document it if it's not already documented. If this is a new project we will document the architecture in the Design Specification.