Glossary · Systems engineering and MBSE
View (systems engineering)
Also known as: Architecture view
In systems engineering, a view is a representation of a system model selected for a specific purpose or stakeholder. It shows only the elements and relationships that matter for that purpose and follows the conventions of a viewpoint.
- Systems engineering
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
A view shows the part of a system model that matters to one purpose or stakeholder, such as a safety view or a maintenance view.
Example
From the system model of a robot cell, the safety engineer uses a view of hazards, safety functions and their verification, while the service team uses a view of components, interfaces and maintenance tasks.
How it applies
- Architecture description: In ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, views address the concerns of stakeholders; each view is governed by a viewpoint.
- Consistency: Views are derived from one system model. Editing a view should change the model, not create a separate copy.
- Technical documentation: Documentation deliverables can be treated as views for specific audiences. The same idea appears in content architecture, where a DITA map selects and orders topics for one deliverable.
- Evidence: Assessors often need a dedicated safety view. Providing it from the governed model is more reliable than a hand-drawn summary.
View vs. viewpoint
A view is the actual representation of a particular system. A viewpoint is the reusable set of conventions for building and reading views of that kind.