Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension
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Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension

Release: 2026-05-03

Modified on: 2026-05-03
This version:
https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto/0.1.0#
Revision:
0.1.0
Authors:
Kalin Maldzhanski
Publisher:
Linked.Archi
See also:
https://www.finops.org/framework/
https://www.iso.org/standard/55088.html
Download serialization:
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License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Cite as:
Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension
Provenance of this page
draft

Abstract

Ontology for financial aspects of enterprise architecture within the Linked.Archi ecosystem.

Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension: Overview back to ToC

This ontology has the following classes and properties.

Classes

Object Properties

Data Properties

Annotation Properties

Named Individuals

Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension: Description back to ToC

Extension ontology for financial aspects of enterprise architecture. Provides vocabulary for Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models, cost allocation to business capabilities and value streams, investment case tracking (Run/Grow/Transform), cost-benefit analysis for architecture decision options, and FinOps cloud cost management. Not intended to replace financial planning tools — the goal is to make cost a queryable dimension of the architecture knowledge graph, enabling questions like "What is the annual run cost of all applications supporting this capability?" or "Which decision option has the best NPV?" Motivated by Gartner 2025 Leadership Vision identifying lack of financial acumen as one of the five mistakes EA teams make. Trademarked names referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Cross-reference for Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension classes, object properties and data properties back to ToC

This section provides details for each class and property defined by Linked.Archi Financial Architecture Extension.

Classes

Budgetc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#Budget

An allocated budget for an architecture initiative, portfolio segment, or organizational unit. Tracks the approved amount, the fiscal period, and the budget owner.
is in domain of
budget amount dp, budget currency dp, fiscal year dp

Cloud Cost Allocationc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CloudCostAllocation

A cloud-specific cost allocation aligned with FinOps practices. Captures cloud provider, service type (compute, storage, network, managed services), and usage-based vs reserved pricing.
has super-classes
Cost Item c
is in domain of
cloud provider dp, cloud service type dp, pricing model dp

Cost Categoryc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostCategory

Classification of cost items by type — license, infrastructure, labor, support, integration, compliance, opportunity cost, or technical debt interest.

Cost Itemc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostItem

A single line item in a cost model — one specific cost with its category, amount, period, and optional notes. Cost items are the atomic units of financial tracking in the architecture knowledge graph.
has sub-classes
Cloud Cost Allocation c, Migration Cost c, Technical Debt Cost c
is in domain of
annual amount dp, one-time amount dp

Cost Modelc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostModel

A Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) or cost model for an architecture element or group of elements. Aggregates cost items across categories (license, infrastructure, labor, support) over a defined time horizon. A CostModel can be linked to any arch:Element — an application, a capability, a platform, or a service. It can also be allocated to business capabilities and value streams for cost-per-capability analysis. The totalTCO property holds the calculated total; individual cost items provide the breakdown.
is in domain of
TCO horizon (years) dp, cost model date dp, currency dp, total TCO dp

Cost Periodc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostPeriod

The time period over which a cost applies — annual, monthly, quarterly, or one-time.

Cost-Benefit Analysisc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostBenefitAnalysis

A structured comparison of costs and benefits for an architecture decision option. Links to ad:Option from the architecture decisions extension, enabling cost-informed decision making. Captures estimated cost, estimated benefit, net present value (NPV), and supporting notes. Multiple options for the same decision can be compared by their CBA metrics.
is in domain of
CBA currency dp, analysis horizon (years) dp, discount rate dp, estimated benefit dp, estimated cost dp, net present value dp

Forecastc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#Forecast

A projected cost or benefit over a future time horizon. Used for financial planning and investment tracking. Links to the architecture elements or initiatives being forecasted.

Investment Casec back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#InvestmentCase

A business case for an architecture investment — modernization, new capability development, or decommissioning. Links the investment to the architecture elements it affects, the projected ROI, payback period, and the Run/Grow/Transform classification. Investment cases connect financial planning to architecture decisions: when an architect proposes a modernization, the investment case captures the financial justification.
is in domain of
investment amount dp, investment currency dp, investment status dp, payback period (months) dp, projected ROI dp

Investment Typec back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#InvestmentType

Classification of architecture investments by strategic intent — Run (keep operational), Grow (expand capabilities), or Transform (fundamental modernization).

Migration Costc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#MigrationCost

The estimated cost of migrating an application or platform. Designed to compose with the TIME framework — applications classified as Migrate should have a MigrationCost item in their cost model.
has super-classes
Cost Item c

Technical Debt Costc back to ToC or Class ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#TechnicalDebtCost

The estimated cost of maintaining or remediating technical debt. Captures both the "interest" (ongoing cost of workarounds and maintenance overhead) and the "principal" (one-time cost to remediate the debt).
has super-classes
Cost Item c
is in domain of
debt description dp, debt type dp

Object Properties

allocated to capabilityop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#allocatedToCapability

Allocates cost to a business capability for cost-per-capability analysis.

allocated to value streamop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#allocatedToValueStream

Allocates cost to a value stream for value-stream cost analysis.

budget ownerop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#budgetOwner

The stakeholder responsible for the budget.

cost categoryop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#costCategory

Categorizes a cost item (license, infrastructure, labor, etc.).

cost model ownerop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#costModelOwner

The stakeholder responsible for maintaining the cost model.

cost period typeop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#costPeriodType

The time period over which a cost applies.

has budgetop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#hasBudget

Links an initiative or portfolio segment to its allocated budget.

has cost itemop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#hasCostItem

Links a cost model to its line items.

has cost modelop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#hasCostModel

Links an architecture element to its cost model.

has cost-benefit analysisop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#hasCostBenefitAnalysis

Links a decision option to its cost-benefit analysis.

has investment caseop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#hasInvestmentCase

Links an architecture element to its investment case.

investment sponsorop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#investmentSponsor

The stakeholder sponsoring the investment.

investment typeop back to ToC or Object Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#investmentType

Classifies the investment as Run, Grow, or Transform.

Data Properties

allocation percentagedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#allocationPercentage

Percentage of cost allocated to a capability or value stream (0-100).
has range
decimal

analysis horizon (years)dp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#analysisHorizonYears

Number of years over which the cost-benefit analysis is projected.
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
integer

annual amountdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#annualAmount

The annual cost amount in the cost model's base currency.
has domain
Cost Item c
has range
decimal

budget amountdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#budgetAmount

The approved budget amount.
has domain
Budget c
has range
decimal

budget currencydp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#budgetCurrency

ISO 4217 currency code for the budget.
has domain
Budget c
has range
string

CBA currencydp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#cbaCurrency

ISO 4217 currency code for the cost-benefit analysis.
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
string

cloud providerdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#cloudProvider

The cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.).
has domain
Cloud Cost Allocation c
has range
string

cloud service typedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#cloudServiceType

The type of cloud service (compute, storage, network, database, managed service).
has domain
Cloud Cost Allocation c
has range
string

cost model datedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#costModelDate

The date the cost model was created or last updated.
has domain
Cost Model c
has range
date

currencydp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#currency

ISO 4217 currency code for the cost model (e.g., EUR, USD, GBP).
has domain
Cost Model c
has range
string

debt descriptiondp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#debtDescription

Description of the technical debt and its impact.
has domain
Technical Debt Cost c
has range
string

debt typedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#debtType

The type of technical debt (interest = ongoing cost, principal = remediation cost).
has domain
Technical Debt Cost c
has range
string

discount ratedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#discountRate

Discount rate used for NPV calculation (as a decimal, e.g., 0.08 for 8%).
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
decimal

estimated benefitdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#estimatedBenefit

Total estimated benefit of the option.
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
decimal

estimated costdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#estimatedCost

Total estimated cost of the option.
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
decimal

fiscal yeardp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#fiscalYear

The fiscal year the budget applies to.
has domain
Budget c
has range
g Year

investment amountdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#investmentAmount

Total investment amount requested.
has domain
Investment Case c
has range
decimal

investment currencydp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#investmentCurrency

ISO 4217 currency code for the investment case.
has domain
Investment Case c
has range
string

investment statusdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#investmentStatus

Status of the investment case (proposed, approved, in-progress, completed, cancelled).
has domain
Investment Case c
has range
string

net present valuedp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#netPresentValue

Net present value of the option over the analysis horizon.
has domain
Cost-Benefit Analysis c
has range
decimal

one-time amountdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#oneTimeAmount

A one-time cost amount (e.g., migration cost, setup fee).
has domain
Cost Item c
has range
decimal

payback period (months)dp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#paybackPeriodMonths

Expected number of months until the investment pays for itself.
has domain
Investment Case c
has range
integer

pricing modeldp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#pricingModel

The pricing model (on-demand, reserved, spot, savings plan).
has domain
Cloud Cost Allocation c
has range
string

projected ROIdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#projectedROI

Projected return on investment as a percentage.
has domain
Investment Case c
has range
decimal

TCO horizon (years)dp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#tcoHorizonYears

The number of years over which TCO is calculated (typically 3 or 5).
has domain
Cost Model c
has range
integer

total TCOdp back to ToC or Data Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#totalTCO

The calculated total cost of ownership over the defined horizon.
has domain
Cost Model c
has range
decimal

Annotation Properties

abstractap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/abstract

citationap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://schema.org/citation

createdap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/created

creatorap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/creator

definitionap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#definition

descriptionap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/description

domain Includesap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#domainIncludes

includes Conceptap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#includesConcept

licenseap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://creativecommons.org/ns#license

modifiedap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/modified

pref Labelap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#prefLabel

preferred Namespace Prefixap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/vocab/vann/preferredNamespacePrefix

preferred Namespace Uriap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/vocab/vann/preferredNamespaceUri

publisherap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/publisher

range Includesap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#rangeIncludes

scope Noteap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#scopeNote

statusap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/ontology/bibo/status

titleap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/title

view Typeap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#viewType

viewpoint Frames Concernap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#viewpointFramesConcern

viewpoint Has Purposeap back to ToC or Annotation Property ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/core#viewpointHasPurpose

Named Individuals

Cloud Cost Optimizationni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CloudCostOptimizationConcern

Optimizing cloud spending through right-sizing, reserved instances, spot usage, and architectural decisions that reduce cloud cost.
belongs to
Concern c
has facts
definition ap "Optimizing cloud spending through right-sizing, reserved instances, spot usage, and architectural decisions that reduce cloud cost."@en
pref Label ap "Cloud Cost Optimization"@en

Cloud FinOpsni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CloudFinOpsViewpoint

View of cloud cost allocation — spending by provider, service type, application, and team. Aligned with FinOps Foundation practices.
belongs to
Viewpoint c
has facts
definition ap "View of cloud cost allocation — spending by provider, service type, application, and team. Aligned with FinOps Foundation practices."@en
pref Label ap "Cloud FinOps"@en
includes Concept ap Cloud Cost Allocation c
includes Concept ap Cost Model c
view Type ap Catalog ep
view Type ap Matrix ep
viewpoint Frames Concern ap Cloud Cost Optimization ni
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Governing ep

Cost Overviewni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#CostOverviewViewpoint

High-level overview of architecture costs — total cost by capability, by application, by technology platform. The entry point for financial analysis of the architecture landscape.
belongs to
Viewpoint c
has facts
definition ap "High-level overview of architecture costs — total cost by capability, by application, by technology platform. The entry point for financial analysis of the architecture landscape."@en
pref Label ap "Cost Overview"@en
includes Concept ap Cost Item c
includes Concept ap Cost Model c
view Type ap Catalog ep
view Type ap Matrix ep
viewpoint Frames Concern ap Total Cost of Ownership ni
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Deciding ep
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Informing ep

Investment Portfolioni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#InvestmentPortfolioViewpoint

View of architecture investments — Run/Grow/Transform classification, projected ROI, payback periods, and budget allocation. Used for investment prioritization and portfolio balancing.
belongs to
Viewpoint c
has facts
definition ap "View of architecture investments — Run/Grow/Transform classification, projected ROI, payback periods, and budget allocation. Used for investment prioritization and portfolio balancing."@en
pref Label ap "Investment Portfolio"@en
includes Concept ap Budget c
includes Concept ap Forecast c
includes Concept ap Investment Case c
view Type ap Diagram ep
view Type ap Matrix ep
viewpoint Frames Concern ap Investment Prioritization ni
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Deciding ep

Investment Prioritizationni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#InvestmentPrioritizationConcern

Allocating limited investment budget across competing architecture initiatives based on projected ROI, strategic alignment, and risk.
belongs to
Concern c
has facts
definition ap "Allocating limited investment budget across competing architecture initiatives based on projected ROI, strategic alignment, and risk."@en
pref Label ap "Investment Prioritization"@en

Technical Debt Landscapeni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#TechnicalDebtViewpoint

View of technical debt across the portfolio — which applications carry the most debt, what is the annual interest cost, and what would remediation cost. Makes the invisible visible for business stakeholders.
belongs to
Viewpoint c
has facts
definition ap "View of technical debt across the portfolio — which applications carry the most debt, what is the annual interest cost, and what would remediation cost. Makes the invisible visible for business stakeholders."@en
pref Label ap "Technical Debt Landscape"@en
includes Concept ap Cost Model c
includes Concept ap Technical Debt Cost c
view Type ap Catalog ep
view Type ap Matrix ep
viewpoint Frames Concern ap Technical Debt Visibility ni
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Deciding ep
viewpoint Has Purpose ap Informing ep

Technical Debt Visibilityni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#TechnicalDebtVisibilityConcern

Making the financial impact of technical debt visible to business stakeholders — the ongoing cost of workarounds and the investment required to remediate.
belongs to
Concern c
has facts
definition ap "Making the financial impact of technical debt visible to business stakeholders — the ongoing cost of workarounds and the investment required to remediate."@en
pref Label ap "Technical Debt Visibility"@en

Total Cost of Ownershipni back to ToC or Named Individual ToC

IRI: https://meta.linked.archi/financial-architecture/onto#TotalCostOfOwnershipConcern

The full lifecycle cost of an architecture element — acquisition, operation, maintenance, support, and eventual decommissioning.
belongs to
Concern c
has facts
definition ap "The full lifecycle cost of an architecture element — acquisition, operation, maintenance, support, and eventual decommissioning."@en
pref Label ap "Total Cost of Ownership"@en

Legend back to ToC

c: Classes
op: Object Properties
dp: Data Properties
ni: Named Individuals
ep: External Properties

Acknowledgments back to ToC

The authors would like to thank Silvio Peroni for developing LODE, a Live OWL Documentation Environment, which is used for representing the Cross Referencing Section of this document and Daniel Garijo for developing Widoco, the program used to create the template used in this documentation.