Business Data Model

• Conceptual data model : describes the semantics of a domain, being the

scope of the model. For example, it may be a model of the interest area
of an organization or industry. This consists of entity classes, representing
kinds of things of significance in the domain, and relationship assertions
about associations between pairs of entity classes. A conceptual schema
specifies the kinds of facts or propositions that can be expressed using
the model. In that sense, it defines the allowed expressions in an artificial
'language' with a scope that is limited by the scope of the model.
• Logical data model : describes the semantics, as represented by a
particular data manipulation technology. This consists of descriptions of
tables and columns, object oriented classes, and XML tags, among other
things.
• Physical data model : describes the physical means by which data are
stored. This is concerned with partitions, CPUs, table spaces, and the like.
 Business Rules

• "Business rules, specific to how things are done in a particular place, are often
fixed in the structure of a data model. This means that small changes in the way
business is conducted lead to large changes in computer systems and interfaces".
• "Entity types are often not identified, or incorrectly identified. This can lead to
replication of data, data structure, and functionality, together with the attendant
costs of that duplication in development and maintenance".
• "Data models for different systems are arbitrarily different. The result of this is
that complex interfaces are required between systems that share data. These
interfaces can account for between 25-70% of the cost of current systems".
• "Data cannot be shared electronically with customers and suppliers, because the
structure and meaning of data has not been standardized. For example,
engineering design data and drawings for process plant are still sometimes
exchanged on paper"
 WorkFlow
• Workflow is the movement of information or
material from one activity or worksite to another.
Workflow includes the procedures, people and tools
involved in each step of a business process. A single
workflow may either be sequential, with each step
contingent upon completion of the previous one, or
parallel, with multiple steps occurring
simultaneously. Multiple combinations of single
workflows may be connected to achieve a resulting
overall process.
 Business Security
Understanding Business Security
Every business should consider the importance of its security. Often, small
businesses do not include this in the immediate ‘to-do list’ because
they might believe they aren’t targets, since they are only a small
operation. This type of thinking is dangerous, and should be avoided.
• Be Alert
• Businesses should always be alert and vigilant. The most important times when people need to be very
conscious about their surroundings would be during opening and closing hours. It’s very important for
employers to pay extra attention to both employees and those outside the company during these key times
because many people will try to take advantage of any distraction.
• Provide Proper Lighting
• When it comes to the area where the business is located, bright lighting should be installed on all the doors
and parking lots to improve security for both the business and its employees. Make sure that your business
is clearly visible from the street so that any police or security people will be able to see into the store or
area clearly. Remember that burglars often target offices and businesses located in areas not viewable from
the street.
• Get Help from a Security Company
• It also pays to have good security installed in your premises. Getting a proper alarm system is really quite
affordable and it could pay for itself the first time it is triggered. Since there are a lot of companies ready to
provide security you can get competitive quotes from them and choose one that you can afford and be
comfortable with. Make sure to shop around first to find the right one for your business.
• Take Care of Your Data and Limit Access
• The information that you get from your customers as well as the information you have for your business
should be well protected. Don’t wait for a breach in security to secure all of your information. A mistake
like that can mean spending a lot of time and money to make up for it. It’s best to always take precautions
to avoid leakage of sensitive data.
• Make sure that you limit the computer access your employees have to only websites and actions that are
needed in order to perform the job. You do not want them to access external websites or networks where
there might be a threat lurking that is just waiting for an opening to get into your network.
Always Use Firewalls
• The use of firewalls is to contain communication to within a specified network and to disallow
communication with other networks not related to the business. Firewalls should be activated for
all computers in your business. This really will increase the security levels of your company to limit
any unauthorized access coming from outside your network.
Have Emergency Plans in Place
• Make sure that you already have documents outlining steps to follow in case of an emergency. It’s
best to always be prepared for eventualities such as fire, theft, floods and the like. And even if it
does sound cheesy, having drills performed regularly will pay-off, and is sometimes required by fire
prevention or insurance agencies.
Conduct Audits
• Audits of all the information and data that your employees store in their computers or in their
profiles should be done regularly to reduce security risks. Apart from the softcopies of the files,
make sure to also do audits on the hardcopies kept in their drawers.
 Data Architecture Structure
• In information technology, data architecture is composed of models,
policies, rules or standards that govern which data is collected, and how it
is stored, arranged, integrated, and put to use in data systems and in
organizations. Data is usually one of several architecture domains that
form the pillars of an enterprise architecture or solution architecture.
• A data architecture should set data standards for all its data systems as a
vision or a model of the eventual interactions between those data
systems. Data integration, for example, should be dependent upon data
architecture standards since data integration requires data interactions
between two or more data systems. A data architecture, in part, describes
the data structures used by a business and its computer applications
software. Data architectures address data in storage and data in motion;
descriptions of data stores, data groups and data items; and mappings of
those data artifacts to data qualities, applications, locations etc.
• Essential to realizing the target state, Data Architecture describes
how data is processed, stored, and utilized in an information
system. It provides criteria for data processing operations so as to
make it possible to design data flows and also control the flow of
data in the system.
• The data architecture is typically responsible for defining the target
state, aligning during development and then following up to ensure
enhancements are done in the spirit of the original blueprint.
• During the definition of the target state, the Data Architecture
breaks a subject down to the atomic level and then builds it back
up to the desired form. The data architect breaks the subject down
by going through 3 traditional architectural processes:
 Master data management
• In business, master data management (MDM) comprises the processes, governance, policies,
standards and tools that consistently define and manage the critical data of an organization to
provide a single point of reference.
• The data that is mastered may include:
• reference data – the business objects for transactions, and the dimensions for analysis
• analytical data – supports decision making
• In computing, a master data management tool can be used to support master data management by
removing duplicates, standardizing data (mass maintaining), and incorporating rules to eliminate
incorrect data from entering the system in order to create an authoritative source of master data.
Master data are the products, accounts and parties for which the business transactions are
completed. The root cause problem stems from business unit and product line segmentation, in
which the same customer will be serviced by different product lines, with redundant data being
entered about the customer (a.k.a. party in the role of customer) and account in order to process
the transaction. The redundancy of party and account data is compounded in the front to back
office life cycle, where the authoritative single source for the party, account and product data is
needed but is often once again redundantly entered or augmented.
• Master data management has the objective of providing processes for collecting, aggregating,
matching, consolidating, quality-assuring, persisting and distributing such data throughout an
organization to ensure consistency and control in the ongoing maintenance and application use of
this information.
• Master data management (MDM) is a comprehensive method
of enabling an enterprise to link all of its critical data to one
file, called a master file, that provides a common point of
reference. When properly done, master data management
streamlines data sharing among personnel and departments.
In addition, master data management can facilitate computing
in multiple system architectures, platforms and applications.
• At its core Master Data Management (MDM) can be viewed as
a "discipline for specialized quality improvement" defined by
the policies and procedures put in place by a data governance
organization. The ultimate goal being to provide the end user
community with a "trusted single version of the truth" from
which to base decisions