SQL Server™ 2005 Bible

Chapter 1. The Information Architecture Principle

In This Chapter

• The principle

• Simplicity

• Usability

• Data integrity

• Performance

• Availability

• Extensibility

• Security

For any complex endeavor, there is value in beginning with a common principle to drive designs, procedures, and decisions. A credible principle is understandable, robust, complete, consistent, and stable. When an overarching principle is agreed upon, conflicting opinions can be objectively measured, and standards can be decided upon that support the principle.

The following principle encompasses the three main areas of information management: database design and development, enterprise data center management, and business intelligence analysis.

Information Architecture Principle: Information is an organizational asset, and, according to its value and scope, must be organized, inventoried, secured, and made readily available in a usable format for daily operations and analysis by individuals, groups, and processes, both today and in the future.

Unpacking this principle reveals several practical implications. First, there should be a known inventory of information, including its location, source, sensitivity, present and future value, and current owner. While most organizational information is stored in IT databases, uninventoried critical data is often found in desktop databases and spreadsheets scattered throughout the organization.

Just as the value of physical assets varies from asset to asset and over time, the value of information ...