English: The graphic of the DOE EA Framework portrays the key components of the DOE Enterprise Architecture, as follows:

• A business layer describing current business lines and functions and delineating a future business environment based on Departmental business objectives and long-term strategies.
• A data layer summarizing existing information resources and establishing a target data environment.
• An application layer characterizing existing computer applications and defining a set of future applications to better meet DOE information processing and management requirements.
• A technology layer depicting existing computer hardware, software, and communications resources and outlining a future technology environment.
• A cross-cutting security layer summarizing current business, data, application, and technology security considerations and mitigation measures and establishing the components of a strengthened and technically up-to-date security infrastructure.

The EA establishes an analytical framework by defining linkages among the business, data, application, and technology components of the architecture. The baseline (as is) and target (to be) architecture layers and the analytical framework establish the basis for developing a transition plan that defines the business process, data management, applications development, and infrastructure projects necessary to transition DOE to the target environment.

The figure above also indicates another important aspect of the Department's EA - its relationship with Program architectures. DOE Program areas are developing their architectures to meet important programmatic business objectives. The DOE EA will not replace these architectures but will serve to frame them from a Departmental perspective. (source: US Department of Energy (2003) Systems Engineering Methodology Version 3, September 2002. p. 61-62)