Data Modeling Business Oriented Approach

Data Modeling : A Business Oriented Approach to Entity-Relationship Modeling

Data modeling was originally developed as a tool for improving database design, but has become the fundamental analysis technique in modern application development, whether the analyst is primarily concerned with data structures, application logic, or the user interface. A key driver is that applying data modeling early in requirements definition allows analysts and clients to develop a common understanding of the business entities (e.g., Customer, Order, Product, Part, etc.) that business processes and information systems deal with, their interrelationships, and the rules that govern them. This eliminates the problems of inconsistent terminology and conflicting assumptions that otherwise plague application development. This workshop introduces entity-relationship modeling from a non-technical perspective, thoroughly covering the basic components of a data model - entities, relationships, attributes, and identifiers. In addition to showing how and when to use these components in developing a data model, it includes many tips, quality checklists, and common pitfalls. Just as important, it contains far more advice on the process of developing a data model than other courses, including specific methods for getting subject matter experts involved and maintaining their commitment.

Objectives

On workshop completion, participants will be able to:

Use entity-relationship modeling to depict facts and rules about business entities at different levels of detail, including conceptual (overview) and logical (detailed) models
Use top-down and bottom-up approaches to initiating development of a data model
Recognize the four basic patterns in data modeling, and when to use them
Use an intuitive approach to data normalization within an entity-relationship model
Apply various techniques for discovering and meeting additional requirements
Read a data model, and communicate with specialists using the appropriate terminology

Duration 2 days

Who Should Attend

Business analysts and application developers responsible for the analysis and design of any component of an application, including the database, application logic, or the user interface. Also, business professionals and managers needing to understand how this technique can uncover and resolve inconsistency in business terminology, policy, and rules.

Prerequisite

An understanding of information systemsconcepts

Course Format Lecture, group discussion and exercises

Instructor Alec Sharp