Database Reference
In-Depth Information
SwIM lAneS
Swim lanes, also called cross-functional flow charts in Microsoft Visio, are most
often used to show process flows across different areas (see Figure 16-5). This
flow shows a typical ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process loading data from
one system into a warehouse, and the data subsequently being used by the
business information (BI) system.
FIguRe 16-5
A swim lane illustrating different ETL processes
TRAnSPoRTATIon MAPS
When trains and subways were first put into service, maps of their routes fol-
lowed the same conventions as traditional maps. Shown to scale, there was
often an enormous amount of wasted space on the map, as well as overlap-
ping text when stations were close together. With the launch of the New
York subway, which had more stations than ever before, something new
was needed, and this was the novel concept of showing each station evenly
spaced. That concept, along with color-coding the lines and removing the
background graphics, made this map revolutionary in visualizations of travel
routes. Figure 16-6 shows the original New York subway map. (You can obtain
