SIP-004 — Separation of Architectural Concerns

Go to Annex C: Requirements

The architectural Model SHALL represent Data, Structure, Semantics, and Interpretation as separable but coordinated architectural concerns.

Data, Structure, Semantics, and Interpretation serve different purposes and have different authorities, dependencies, and lifecycles. Treating them as separate architectural concerns lets you identify, govern, version, reuse, and change each one without silently changing the others.

These concerns must remain coordinated because the Structure organizes the Data, Semantics establishes its meaning, and Interpretation applies rules or reasoning within that context. Explicit relationships among the concerns support consistent processing, controlled evolution, and reproducible outcomes.

The Submission satisfies this requirement when the architectural Model:

1. Represents Data, Structure, Semantics, and Interpretation as distinguishable architectural concerns
2. Defines the purpose and responsibilities associated with each concern
3. Defines the relationships and dependencies among the four concerns
4. Identifies how each concern applies to structured information processing
5. Allows each concern to be governed and versioned independently
6. Identifies the applicable versions of the concerns used for an Interpretation
7. Avoids requiring all four concerns to be embedded in one implementation component or technology

Separable does not mean unrelated or operationally isolated. The architectural Model must define how the four concerns work together while preserving their distinct responsibilities and lifecycles.

SIP-023 — Governance Evolution and Operational Execution addresses the related separation between Governance Artifact evolution and operational execution.