Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter XI
Using DEMO and
ORM in Concert:
A Case Study
Jan L.G. Dietz, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Terry Halpin, Northface University, USA
ABSTRACT
The Demo Engineering Methodology for Organizations (DEMO) enables business processes of or-
ganizations to be modeled at a conceptual level, independent of how the processes are implemented.
DEMO focuses on the communication acts that take place between human actors in the organization.
The Object-Role Modeling (ORM) approach enables business information to be modeled conceptually,
in terms of fact types as well as the business rules that constrain how the fact types may be populated
for any given state of the information system and how derived facts may be inferred from other facts.
ORM also includes procedures to map conceptual data models to physical database schemas. Both
DEMO and ORM treat fact types as fundamental, and require that their models be expressible in natural
language sentences. This suggests that the approaches may be synthesized in a natural way, resulting
in a more powerful method for business modeling. This chapter discusses an exploratory case study
in which both methods were used in concert, and identifi es some lessons learned.
INTRODUCTION
Demo Engineering Methodology for Organizations
(DEMO) is a method for orga-
nization engineering, an emerging discipline concerning the design and implementation
of organizations (Dietz, 1994, 1999, 2003a, 2003b;
Van Reijswoud, Mulder & Dietz, 1999)
.
Traditional organization science is based on a teleological system defi nition, which is con-
cerned with the function and the behavior of a system in its environment. The corresponding
dominant paradigm for studying organizations is the IPO-paradigm (Input-Process-Output).
The matching model type is the black-box-model.
Organization engineering
is based on an
Organization engineering
ontological
system defi nition, which is concerned with the construction and operation of a
