194 ◾ Enterprise Architecture A to Z
of these existing applications, MDA tools will generate cross-platform invocations where
needed. Legacy application based on a UML model and a supported middleware platform
can be included in a company’s circle of MDA interoperability by simply importing its
model into MDA tools as PIMs for new applications are built.
To benefit an industry, a standard must be used by a critical mass of companies. Technology-
specific standards will encounter challenges getting established where platform incompatibility
prevents the achievement of this critical mass. Sometimes, the problem is more deep-rooted than
this: in some industries, architecturally excellent standards were adopted in the formal sense but
failed to wi ...