The conceptual data layer is organized such that the relationships between Lines of Business and Data Domain assets, and between Data Domain and Data Concept assets, are many-to-many relationships.
This graph-based approach, based on many-to-many relationships, makes the conceptual data layer more concise and flexible.
Example
In this example, we've identified three lines of business, each of which groups both the Customer data domain and Product data domain. In turn, each data domain groups several data concepts, some of which are grouped by both data domains.
Both data domains group the Name and ID Number data concepts. This is conceivable because Name and ID Number, as Data Concept assets, are abstract representations of these two concepts, rather than specific implementations of them, which are described in the logical data layer and implemented by System assets.
In this way, information stored in the conceptual data layer is kept to a minimum and the Data Domain and Data Concept assets are referred to as often as necessary.
In summary, Line of Business, Data Concept and Data Domain assets are independent assets that do not, by nature, encapsulate or organize the structure of other assets. The Name and ID Number Data Concept assets exist independently of the Data Domain assets that group them. A Customer can have a Name and a Product can have a Name, but you need only one Data Concept asset to encapsulate the idea of “name”.
In this example, we've identified three lines of business, each of which groups both the Customer data domain and Product data domain. In turn, each data domain groups several data concepts, some of which are grouped by both data domains.
Both data domains group the Name and ID Number data concepts. This is conceivable because Name and ID Number, as Data Concept assets, are abstract representations of these two concepts, rather than specific implementations of them, which are described in the logical data layer and implemented by System assets.
In this way, information stored in the conceptual data layer is kept to a minimum and the Data Domain and Data Concept assets are referred to as often as necessary.
In summary, Line of Business, Data Concept and Data Domain assets are independent assets that do not, by nature, encapsulate or organize the structure of other assets. The Name and ID Number Data Concept assets exist independently of the Data Domain assets that group them. A Customer can have a Name and a Product can have a Name, but you need only one Data Concept asset to encapsulate the idea of “name”.