Information Modeling and Relational Databases, 2nd Edition

15.1. Modeling Dynamic Behavior

In this book, we have been mostly concerned with understanding information structures. This has very practical applications: if we want to build a business information system, it is crucial that we have an accurate definition of the information that we intend to use. We have seen how information can be modeled and how we can use the knowledge gained through modeling as the basis for storing and manipulating the information. Of course, modeling does not in itself determine what kind(s) of information fulfills a business need. For example, should a customer information system include each customer’s shoe size? For a shoe retailer this is likely to be important information, but it would probably be irrelevant for ...