Modeling

In many industries, model building is part of the project design and approval process. The model ensures that the pieces of the project fit together, and it gives a visual look to the design for the various stakeholders who will sign off on the project plan.

Centralized Master Data Management projects can benefit from the modeling process in the same way. Building an enterprise wide infrastructure around corporate data involves understanding the business information from both a high level view and a detailed operational view. A data model can be reviewed against the business processes and goals before the company embarks on cross-departmental initiatives.

model :

1. A schematic description of a system, theory, or phenomenon that accounts for its known or inferred properties and may be used for further study of its characteristics.

A data model captures information and data relationships in a design. The model centralizes the data descriptions stored in the repositories dispersed throughout your organization. The model is very data-centric, and accounts for all of the existing data types, codes, enumerations, and structures that are used within your schemas.

ObjectRiver MDM uses your data model to generate a data dictionary for all to review during the project design phase. When the project plan is approved, the system uses the same model to generate a transactional database infrastructure for the enterprise.

The first step in creating a model is to have your experts analyze your business objects in a way that reflects the language used by business users. For example, if you are modeling a health care insurance system, you would expect your model to contain objects like Claim, Policy, Doctor, or Prescription .

The system architect, data architect, and modeling expert create the model for the new architecture. In many organizations, it is the data architect who really understands the intricacies of the existing data fields and how they are used. All of this information must be captured in the model.

Capturing the information in a model is usually a two to eight week process, depending on the complexity of the data. This exercise is totally focused on design; no programming is involved. The iterative nature of the review process lets you refine the model without having to involve programmers.

The result of the modeling process is a new data dictionary. The dictionary is reviewed and validated by cross functional groups to ensure that the business objects have the information needed to perform the business processes. The data dictionary can be printed in specification form and used as a handbook for the programmers who are writing business logic and rules for the new system.

This is really where the buy-off must occur, because the data definition represents a long-term strategy for data driven decision-making. You can implement the data dictionary using the corporation's relational database solution. In many cases, the new data dictionary is very similar to many parts of the existing schemas within the organization.

Generating Business Objects

Once you have defined, modeled and reviewed the design of your business objects, the ObjectRiver Model Compiler can generate them from the same data model. The compiler generates database tables, Java data access source code, XML schemas for Web Services, and built-in support for auditing.

Process objects like Online_Request, Work_Queue, Exceptions , and the like can also be defined. These objects are more transient in nature, and may be handled by existing workflow systems.

Summary

The strategic modeling approach is an inexpensive task that will prove that you can capture and solve your data centralization problem. Modeling your information essentially guarantees success because once the model is defined, ObjectRiver can generate the implementation for storing, distributing, and auditing your business objects. Since the model can be developed without programming, this process can be used as a sales tool for the project manager, integrator or workflow vendor trying to win business.

Business Rules