Distribution, Data, Deployment: Software Architecture Convergence in Big Data Systems

Big data applications are pushing the limits of software engineering on multiple horizons. Successful solutions span the design of the data, distribution, and deployment architectures. The body of software architecture knowledge must evolve to capture this advanced design knowledge for big data systems. This article is a first step on this path. Our research is proceeding in two complementary directions. First, we're expanding our collection of architecture tactics and encoding them in an environment that supports navigation between quality attributes and tactics, making crosscutting concerns for design choices explicit. Second, we're linking tactics to design solutions based on specific big data technologies, enabling architects to rapidly relate a particular technology's capabilities to a specific set of tactics.