The Data Model Resource Book, Volume 3: Universal Patterns for Data Modeling

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4 Chapter 1 ■ Introduction

As training materials for their data professionals and IT staff in general.

The patterns cover a broad range of different structures at different levels

of generalization. The patterns are explained in detail with examples

that can guide data modelers and other IT professionals in their use.

Many of our clients have used these patterns successfully to save time and

increase the quality for a great variety of data modeling efforts, ranging from

creating a data model for a prototype, through developing an enterprise-wide

data model used to standardize their models worldwide.

Extending the Discipline of Data Modeling

Data modeling has been a discipline that first gained recognition in Dr. Peter

Chen’s 1976 article that illustrated his approach for describing data struc-

tures called Entity-Relationship Modeling.

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Since then it has become the

standard approach used toward modeling and designing databases. By prop-

erly modeling an organization’s data, the database designer can eliminate data

redundancies, which are a key source of inaccurate information and ineffective

systems.

There are many books and articles about design patterns, but very little has

been written about the underlying patterns for entity relationship modeling

(as we are describing in this book). It can be said that the fathers/mothers of

patterns were Christopher ...