Web design tools - Take into account everything people tell you, but
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007Take into account everything people tell you, but don t get sidetracked, misled, or confused because the database model designer s perspective is much more abstract than that of an end-user. End-user perspectives are either at ground level or operationally based. A database model is a logical (and even mathematical) abstraction that tries to accommodate for all possible circumstances, within reason, of course. Otherwise, the database model will be more complex than sometimes it is possible for applications to find useful. Have you ever encountered a database model design in a company, covering an entire wall? This harbors potential for a scary situation. Talking to the Right People There are different types of people. Some people are more technically aware than others; however, this does not imply that those who are technically aware are your best source of information. In my experience, the people with the most knowledge of a business are usually the managers, usually executive level in small companies, and somewhere in the middle in larger companies. In a small company, executive-level people are easy to access. In a larger company, getting executive time is difficult (if not impossible) and probably not effective for your purposes. For large companies, the best option is the high-level managers with a good overall picture of the business. These people can allocate the database designer more time than people further down on the scale who know the business well, perhaps someone who has both technical and business operational skills. As a database model designer, your entry point is the person who you bill and who signs your check. You may see this person only once. Even if your recruiter is in the Human Resources (HR) department, be sure that you get the recruiter s help right off the bat in getting introductions to who might be able to help you best in your quest to create the most appropriate database model design possible. Adatabase designer must talk to different types of people on multiple levels and in multiple skills arenas, in the same company. It is beneficial to get a balance of levels and skills to help get a better overall picture of requirements. There can be quite a distinct contrast between the perspective of management and that of the nitty-gritty details of employees on the floor getting their hands dirty in specific job functions. Obviously, how much detail is required is largely dependent on how complex the business is and also on how much of that complexity is to be computerized. For example, a simple invoicing system requiring only that bills be sent out excluding details of what is being sent out makes a simple book retailer require the same data modeling complexity as that of an auto parts manufacturer. Of course, if the evolving application is to include part numbers, colors, materials of which items are made, correct parts for different types of cars, how things are made, precise measurements, the list goes on there is a complexity issue. How complicated can selling books get? Quite typically, retail is simplistic when it comes to computerization. Manufacturing can be extremely complex, especially when parts and pieces manufactured are custom-made as well as off-the-shelf. The more complexity a database model requires, the more questions you must ask. The more questions there are to ask, the larger the amount of detail and potential layering within the structure of a design solution. In conclusion, the more questions you have, the more people you might want to talk to, and, thus, the more people in different roles you will probably need to talk to as well. Take a breath! Perhaps the central theme of database modeling (especially for relational database modeling in OLTP databases) is that abstraction is the order of the day. Greater levels of abstraction are more often needed when special-case scenarios crop up frequently. The more special-case scenarios you get, the more likely you will begin to observe similarities between those supposedly opposing special-case scenarios. Your objective is to create a single set of tables and relationships to cover as much of the operational functioning 29 Database Modeling in the Workplace
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