Building Java Enterprise Applications

Finalizing the Plans

By now it may seem that I have spent an eternity doing nothing but talking about the Forethought application. In reality, I have barely scratched the surface of a complete application design. Most companies require functional specifications, detailing what an application will do and the business needs it should serve. Often, technical design documents that specify the details in even more depth are required before a development team can begin work on a project. In some cases, an appropriate team might have to be assembled, which may involve contracting and consulting resources hired to supplement full-time employees. In other words, enjoy that I spent only a chapter on this subject, rather than a whole book! It’s a luxury you would have only with a fictional company.

In any case, I have outlined the Forethought application well enough to give you an idea of the technologies and general techniques that will be used. Additionally, minimal architecture diagrams have been taking shape. With the data, business, and presentation layers all sketched out, the three separate layers can be combined into a single, overall application architecture. This complete picture is shown in Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-4. Completed Forethought application architecture

You can see that because of the separation between the layers, there is really no work to be done to “connect” these layers ...