| Author | Subject |
Not Null
Registered User
(9/27/00 12:29:49 pm)
208.209.229.251
Reply | Edit | Del All | Data Modeling/Data Admin
What's a good way to move into the Data area? I've been a developer for 10 years, but have done some data modeling in the past (and was good at it).
Thanks 
|
Farnorth
Registered User
(9/27/00 2:54:21 pm)
12.18.184.2
Reply | Edit | Del | Re: Data Modeling/Data Admin
Look for a development project for an application front-end for a database and offer to help with the database back-end work as well. Try to use any of the database, data modeling tools available on the project. Show that experience on your resume as database development/modeling work.
Live, eat and breath data modeling, performance tuning, etc. Talk to other modelers and DBAs, we also live, eat and breath the stuff.
Hit the data modeling books and websites. Some good sites are:
- www.datamodel.org
- www.dwinfocenter.org
- www.billinmon.com
- www.dmreview.com
- www.dbstuff.com
Good books include:
- Data Model Patterns, Conventions of Thought, Hay, David C.
- Data Modeling Essentials, Simsion, Graeme
- Building the Data Warehouse, 2d Ed., Inmon, W.H.
|
Bob McIlree 
Registered User
(9/27/00 4:10:16 pm)
139.172.55.10
Reply | Edit | Del | Learn the modeling tools too...
Use of a modeling tool like ERWin, PowerDesigner, or the Embacadero tool (forget its name) is essential for productive work and most of my DM/DA clients expect fluency in at least one.
Good thing is, they are easy to learn and use if you know logical/physical design andnormalizationt techniques.
Bad thing is: the tools are outrageously expensive per seat ($7-9 K Per). But, you can download PowerDesigner from Sybase (www.sybase.com) free for a 45 day trial.
Most clients use ERWin. Given a choice, learn that one first.
|
Dinosaur
Registered User
(9/27/00 4:20:17 pm)
209.18.29.76
Reply | Edit | Del | Re: Data Modeling/Data Admin
Farnorth, thanks for those links. You can get too soon old and too late smart, but you can never get too smart.
Another goodie:
Bruce, Thomas. Designing Quality Databases With IDEF1X Information Models.
I like this one not because it teaches you how to use IDEF1X, but because it teaches you when to use it, and has extensive discussions of the varying, and sometimes conflicting, viewpoints of analysts, coders, users, managers
and other stakeholders.
Over what hill? I don't remember any hill!
|
Colin Davies
Registered User
(9/27/00 5:24:29 pm)
206.124.248.229
Reply | Edit | Del | Re: Learn the modeling tools too...
Personally I detest ERwin, so I chose Embarcadero's ER/Studio. I also like Sybase PowerDesigner (which also does UML).
You can get inexpensive data modeling tools from these sites:
www.chillisource.com
www.heraut.demon.nl
For inexpensive object modeling tools, take a look at these:
www.magicdraw.com
www.objectdomain.com
|
Colin Davies
Registered User
(9/27/00 5:34:43 pm)
206.124.248.229
Reply | Edit | Del | Data modeling - alternatives to ER modeling
If you are going to be designing any data warehouses or data marts, I strongly recommend www.ralphkimball.com.
Although the "traditional" data modelers tend to stick to Bill Inmon's approach to data warehouse design (it's more like traditional ER modeling), some of us prefer Ralph Kimball's dimensional modeling approach. I have built several data warehouses and data marts (from 5GB to 500GB), and I found that Ralph's "Bus Architecture" approach scales very well. Also, dimensional models are usually easier for non-modelers to understand.
I recommend that you be aware that the ER modeling approach is not the only way. Look at Semantic Object Modeling:
"Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design and Implementation"
by David M. Kroenke
7th edition (July 15, 2000)
Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0130848166
Also check out Object Role Modeling:
www.inconcept.com/JCM/
|
Farnorth
Registered User
(9/27/00 7:07:38 pm)
12.18.184.2
Reply | Edit | Del | Re: Learn the modeling tools too...
And the Oracle tool is Designer/2000, which, like other Oracle software, is available in a 30-day trial basis at their website.
|
Farnorth
Registered User
(9/27/00 7:12:13 pm)
12.18.184.2
Reply | Edit | Del | Re: Data modeling - alternatives to ER modeling
Colin, thanks for the Kimball site. I live by his books but can never remember his name. Kimball is MUCH better for data warehouse modeling. Inmon is better for relational database or operational data store modeling.
And then, of course, there's the Zachman Framework as well, which is better for dealing with how to model the data flow.
|
