Data/term-model

2 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Data/term-model - Summary Slide  Definition of a data/term model  Term Analysis and Modeling – the process  Term Analysis and Modeling  Collection of terms and definitions  Term analysis  Term analysis – Rules of thumb  Documentation of terms  Modeling  Draw the data/term model  Verification  Audit Use Cases and Service Description  The YEFI standardization process

3 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Definition of a term model “A set of terms and relations, which describes a concrete or abstract part of the world” …or put in another way: ”Terms and relations that describe all, or part of, the business, depending on the context”

4 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) What is a term model? “ A set of terms and relations, which describes a concrete or abstract part of the world”  While process charts and use cases form the processes in the business, the term model forms the information basis  It is not a data model for software!  It is often instigated by IT projects, as the modelling forms the basis of IT systems by:  Providing a common frame of understanding of the business for professional experts, IT people and suppliers  Collect terms which are used in the system interfaces  Ensure exchange across systems, both internally and externally  Form the basis for one or more data models

5 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Term Analysis and Modeling – the process Agency Collection of terms and definitions Term analysis Plan Term Analysis and Modeling Initial state: - e-Service provisional budget approved Final state: - the term model finished within defined scope Verify Model Term Model Finished ? yes no Audit Use Cases and Service description Link to: - Use CaseUse Case - Service DescriptionService Description YEFI Standardization Process Term Modeling Link to: - YEFIYEFI

6 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser)  List of relevant terms  The level of detail depends on the purpose of the term model  Mapping of the company’s language – may be less detailed  RFP for new system – requires more detail  Method:  Search various, complementing sources  YEFI data-catalogue for reusable business objects  Interviews with company, users, professional experts, domain experts  Thesauruses in the domain  Websites on the topic – both that of the organisation and others that might be relevant  Similar system  Any requirements documentation  Process descriptions  Use cases  … Collection of terms and definitions

7 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Collection of terms and definitions  Collect and sort!  Initial review  Identify terms  Re-review  Qualify terms for use cases

8 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Term analysis  The terms have been selected and grouped  The central terms have been selected  The terms have been sorted in smaller groups  Objects have been identified and attributes placed - any values have been identified  The selected terms have been described  The relations have been identified  Method:  Look up YEFI for data and metadata standards  Get help from domain specialists. Let them do the grouping and describing  Read about the terms, in the collected materials  The domain specialists can point out relations during the process. Furthermore, the relations will appear in the descriptions

9 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser)  Too many is better than too few. Many are cut along the process.  Choose terms aimed at the goal for the term model – for RFP, look at the system vision  Object and attribute names are nouns - if in doubt if the object is an object or an attribute, make it an object, at least at first  Attributes are object properties, i.e. they describe the object - typically dates, numbers, texts  Make an attribute an object if it is it is in fact several attributes  The model is easier to understand and use if you note the object roles (”governing object”, goal, recipient, source, performing instrument, etc.). Enter into description  Add relations where connections between terms must be remembered  However, too many relations make the model chaotic!  Relation names are verbs  Name the relations according to their modality, i.e. specify using; shall, will, should or another of the so-called modal verbs, in order to help specify status for the used relations Term analysis – Rules of thumb

10 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Documentation of terms Link to example

11 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Modeling First draft of the term model has been drawn and is ready for validation  Method:  Establish final terms:  Objects: Use nouns, composite nouns if necessary, should they better describe the term  Attributes: Use as specific nouns as possible. Indicate type of data, e.g. ”Date of car purchase” = Car purchase date  Values: Use those of the business  Establish final relations (and their types) between objects  The types are reviewed in the following  Insert into modelling tool  If UML class chart – insert the objects as classes and add attributes  If other tool – agree on form of notation for objects, attributes, values and relations

12 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Modeling

13 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) YEFI Standardization Process

14 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) YEFI example

15 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Verification  Operations / domain professionals have been queried  Relevant external parties have been queried  The term model has been used in real-life situations (in this case, described in use cases)  Method:  Hearings are done, either in writing or spoken (the model may take some explaining to outsiders)  Use use cases or other descriptions of operational situations to test scenarios – does the model express what the use case indicates?

16 Copyright e-Government Program (Yesser) Audit Use Cases and Service Description  Revise Use cases  If there is a need for use case changes, these are re-vised on the go  Make use of professional specialists  Revise Service specifications  Change the specifications to match the changes made in the term model