Modeling data and business processes is important for understanding how data grows and is managed across an organization. It helps address issues around data governance, master data management, and compliance. New modeling tools from companies like Embarcadero help different roles communicate and ensure consistency. Data architects are primarily responsible for creating models, while developers and others use the models. A good starting point is picking key projects and reverse engineering important databases to identify redundancies and inconsistencies.

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Harnessing Data Growth
Through Modeling
Many organizations are leveraging initely distinguished from each other. what data in other systems is affected?
the power of modeling to better under- The main thing is the level of abstraction This can take literally hours of analysis
stand how data is being managed and who the audience is. If the primary without the proper tools in place, and
through the enterprise. Jason Tiret, audience is developers or DBAs, then can be very error-prone if the documen-
director of modeling and design solu- you can stick with just the physical tation is incomplete. Models will pave
tions for Embarcadero Technologies, details, and usually the more the better the way for the analysis.
Inc., explains why modeling is important when they’re looking at a model for a
to the business, and describes new specific data type, column name or def- Q: What advice do you give to data
approaches that help data professionals inition. However, when talking to the managers just starting to add modeling
and architects put the pieces together. business, you’re not going to use a capabilities?
detailed logical or physical data model to Tiret: Don’t try to boil the ocean. A
Q: What has changed within the database get your point across. It’s just too much bottom-up approach is a great way to
and IT landscape that makes data information for them and your point is get started. Focus on specific areas of
modeling a more urgent requirement? going to be lost in the weeds. need. Key projects and hot business ini-
Tiret: There are a lot of things at the tiatives that have a lot of visibility are a
forefront of corporate agendas these Q: Who on the data management team is good place to start. It may be as simple
days, such as data governance pro- most likely to be focusing on data and as reverse-engineering key databases
grams, SOA, master data management, business modeling–data architects, underpinning the applications. Get them
and compliance laws. The rate at which developers, DBAs, enterprise architects? into a central location so they can be
data is growing has increased dramati- Tiret: The modeling typically is left to analyzed. See what redundant tables
cally, but the number of architects has— the data and enterprise architects in and columns are there. See if there are
in most cases—remained the same. most organizations. In smaller organiza- any inconsistencies between them. If
Now more than ever with the economic tions where people wear many hats, the there are inconsistencies, try to under-
crunch, people are asked to do more DBA may be the developer, who may stand why. Models should be managed
with less. This puts a lot of pressure on also be the data architect. In larger from a central place, such as a repos-
a few people to make sure the data is organizations, it is the architecture itory, to search and report on them.
accurate and the information about the group that is producing most of the
data–or metadata–is relevant and com- models. Developers and development Q: Describe how new modeling tools such as
municated properly. Modeling helps DBAs need to be able to read and use Embarcadero ER/Studio and EA/Studio can
harness and control the tremendous the models. The important thing is for facilitate this modeling process.
data growth that everyone is experi- everyone to work together to ensure Tiret: The main thing is communi-
encing. It helps companies understand the models and metadata are accurate cation. We want to provide architects
the usage and business rules sur- and everyone is on the same page. with the tools to help them commu-
rounding the data. Modeling tools nicate with the audiences they touch on
promote consistency among models Q: Does the developer have an important a day-to-day basis. Architects hold the
and the data definitions, which in turn stake in the modeling process as well, then? key to a lot of valuable information that
can lead to consistent data. Tiret: From a development stand- their organization needs, but if they
point, managing changes and diag- can’t communicate that information out
Q: Is it important to distinguish between nosing what needs to be changed is a to the people who need it, then it is all
“business modeling” and “data modeling”? huge pain point. If a model changes, for naught. That’s one of the main
Tiret: They serve the same purpose what XML structures need to change, reasons why we built the ER/Studio
for different audiences, so they are def- what databases need to change, and Enterprise Portal.
Embarcadero Technologies I 100 California Street, 12th Floor I San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: 415.834.3131 I Fax: 415.434.1721 I Email: info@embarcadero.com I www.embarcadero.com