Data Modeling vs. Database Design

01 Dec 96 updated

Structure vs.Behavior in Data Models
and Database Design

The OO movement is built on the principle that each object should have total knowledge of and responsibility for itself. We are admonished to rigorously encapsulate each object's attributes and methods.

Of course these concepts are not new. For twenty-five years we have used data modeling to identify and isolate the persistent, structrual aspects of information systems from the dynamic rules and processes which govern them.

Yet we freely intermingle structure and behavior in data models. Models represent concepts like cardinality and inheritance, which are beyond the capabilities of a relational database. Database schema include features like triggers which partition applications into fragmented business rules.

Data modeling methodologies and CASE tools muddle the tasks of application architecture, data requirements, and database design. In this discussion we will look at some specifics of several popular CASE tools and attempt to clarify which is what.

Data Modeling vs. Database Design

Structure vs.Behavior in Data Models and Database Design

Structure vs.Behavior in Data Models
and Database Design