Everyone knows that data volumes are increasing at enormous rates but is knowledge of the data, and more importantly knowledge within the business, increasing with it? Jason Tiret examines the best practices on how data models are used to improve service enterprise data management.

1. Data Management
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uSlness
success
Everyone knows that data volumes are increasing at enormous rates but is
knowledge of the data, and more importantly knowledge within the business,
increasing with it? Jason Tiret examines the best practices on how data models
are used to improve service enterprise data management.
IN TODAY'S WORLD OF DATA business feel if you told them 85 per cent of level of the data it represents. the use of the
governance, web services, regulatory compliance your data was unusable and just taking up disk data on an enterprise or departmental level,
,
and heightened information security, data space? the last time the represented data was checked
architects are asked to build much more than Data governance entails many things but the for accuracy, or the last time the structure was
the classic data dictionary. The importance basic premise is a set of standards or guidelines changed in the database. Most organisations
of well-documented models, both data and for managing data on an enterprise-wide scale are just happy that an entity has a definition at
process, are at a premium.The traditional entity with the goal of making it more useful, more all. Nevertheless, this infor"mation needs to be
and attribute definitions are not cutting it when secure and more valuable - i.e. turning a storage incorporated into the models, otherwise it will
it comes to truly documenting the data and the cost into an asset for the business. By ensuring just become yet another outdated artifact that
processes surrounding it. best practice around data within a company you IT needs to manage, with no tangible benefits to
As new projects are undertaken, ensuring can automatically drive down data centre costs demonstrate to management.
that business requirements are adequately and gradually begin to utilise that 'missing' 85
addressed and accurately implemented can be per cent. The latest technological trends
a challenge unless the metadata (i.e. the data The scope of data governance extends Both web services and service-oriented
about the data) has kept apace with the growing beyond the data architecture team and it architecture (SOA) are two hot technologies
needs of the business, continually evolving is very important that both the architects that are currently on most business's radars.
alongside it. and modellers are involved with the data SOA enables the integration and reuse of data
governance initiatives to ensure the business is throughout the enterprise, which can, amongst
The importance of data aligned correctly.This means creating standards other thIngs, speed up processes and increase
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governance for how your data is secured and documenting data sharing across the organisation.This can
Data governance is becoming ever important what, if any, sensitivity to compliance laws it may often improve efficiency across various business
to businesses as they strive to meet the needs have. It means defining the stewards of your areas such as customer service and technical
of regulatory compliance measures such as data as it relates to responsibilities of managing support call centres or sales, order management
Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II and most recently it, such as the quality, design and business rules. and accounting, A big component of SOA and
MiFID. It also means creating standards for database web services is XML and XML schemas that
Howevel~ very little of the data that is stored development as new databases are built and represent the data and structure in a message.
within a corporation is actually used to its existing databases are re-architected. It is critical These, like everything else representing the
benefit. Gartner estimates that only 15 per cent that these standards be integrated into the structure of data, need to be governed.
of data is actually used for the benefit of the models to service the data governance initiatives Many organisations are actually using data
organisation - nobody knows what the other of your business, models as the origin of XML schemas.This
85 per cent of data is, where it is or what to do A general definition of an entity in a typical makes sense because they can use the same set
with it. How happy would executives in your data model very rarely documents the sensitivity of standards that are applied to physical data
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2. Data Management
models and databases and leverage them for information about IT assets with the knowledge story of the data, who can access what, when,
creating the XML schema structure.This often and rules of the business. Getting them into one where and why.The data mocfels must also
starts with creating logical models that represent central container maximises the benefit they explain the policies and use of the data acros.s
the canonical form of the XML messages. A can provide to an organisation.This can help the enterprise to ensure governance, security
canonical model will typically be somewhere isolate areas of redundant data and reduce the and best practice.•
In between a conceptual and a logical model overall cost of storage for the data. In addition,
but will be fully attributed and enforce stricter most repositories have the ability to reuse Jason Tiret has over seven years of
vocabulary and stronger typing for the attributes. information across various models to promote experience in data modelling, metadata
The benefit is that the same vocabulary and reuse and further- drive down the cost of and database management and currently
naming standards can be used for the XM L as managing common data in systems throughout manages Embarcadero's award-winning data
it is to create databases that are typically where the organisation. modelling solutions.
the data originates anyway. Reporting is also an integral piece of any
repository.This allows searching and reporting
A safe repository to audiences who may not be leveraging the
The importance of storing the data models in repository for active development but need
a repository, as opposed to a network drive, access to gain information about the data's use
cannot be understated. Models represent a and whereabouts across the enterprise.
large part ofthe intellectual property of a
business.The worst thing that can happen is to Conclusion
have them stored on a personal hard drive or In summary, how data is used underpins the
network drives with no process for backup and success of an organisation. Data models play an
recovery, no ability to analyse what the sum integral role in managing data on an enterprise
of the parts is, and no way of knowing what is level but that is only the initial step. Data models
truly out there. It gets very difficult to align the need to be well-documented and tell the entire
so you have redundant LT. equipment
but you're unsure of your legal obligations,
and concerned about data security?
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08709194653
www.puretwelve.co.uk
enquiries@puretwelve.co.uk
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