Database Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 5
DATA MODELING BASICS
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Understand what exactly a data model is
Learn why a data model is necessary
Observe how a data model represents information requirements
Study how data design is derived from a data model
Examine how data views are integrated into a data model
Data modeling is an integral part of designing a data system. It has gained impor-
tance as more and more businesses have moved into database systems. In a large
database project, the data modelers are a distinct group of database practitioners.
Professionals responsible for data modeling create models of the data that must
reside in the organization's database. They are not concerned with the particular
database management system. The data model is independent of the target DBMS.
Third-party vendors offer good CASE tools to aid in the creation of data models.
The technique of modeling is nothing new. If a company is building an intricate
product, it first creates a model of the product. The model is not the product itself;
it is a representation or replica of the product. However, for the model to be a true
representation it must display all the major features of the product itself. Building
models is common in manufacturing.
Compare the building of a database system to the manufacture of a product.
Something intricate is being built in both cases. The idea of building a data model
is similar to the creation of a model for the product to be manufactured. The data
model serves as a replica of the information content in the proposed database
system.
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