Video : ER/Studio Data Architect

Data modeling is creating a visual representation of components of an information system to illustrate the connections between data points and structures. Effective use of data modeling helps both technical and non-technical audiences understand how complex systems work.

One of the key goals of data modeling is to align business requirements with the way one represents information in enterprise information systems.

Because of the complexity of modern organizations and their systems, data modeling is becoming valuable. By modeling databases, systems, and applications ahead of time, organizations are better prepared for coping with the incredible volume of data that is required to be processed and stored.One can define a data model as the logical inter-relationships and data flow between distinct data elements in an information system or collection of systems. It is used to represent the data requirements and formats needed to fulfill the information needs of a business.

Data models are used to facilitate this communication during the different stages of system development. They take abstract business requirements and use an iterative process to refine them into physical representations that one can use to implement information systems and databases.There are three types of data models: conceptual, logical, and physical. Each type of data model has a role to play at different stages in the data modeling process. After the conceptual stage, subsequent stages add further context and increased granularity to the information captured and represented.