What Is Data Modelling?

Date First Published: 29th February 2024

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn about what data modelling is in this article.

Data modelling is the process of creating a data model that visually represents data elements and how they relate to each other. It consists of creating a simplified diagram of a software system using text and symbols to represent the data and how it flows.

Data modelling systems require properly defined and structured data and models make it clear what data is required and how it needs to be structured to support the business processes. Models support the development of effective information systems by helping to define and structure data in the context of relevant business processes.

Purpose Of Data Modelling

Data modelling is used to provide a visual representation of data sets and their business context. This helps identify information needs for different business processes. It also plays a big role in data architecture processes that document data assets, map how data moves through IT systems and create a conceptual data management framework.

Types Of Data Modelling

Different data modelling is used to represent business concepts, relevant data entities, their attributes and relationships, and technical structures for managing the data. Three different types of data modelling include:

• Conceptual data modelling - Defines the overall structure of the system and data. It maps out the types of data that are needed, how different business entities relate to each other and associated business rules.
• Logical data modelling - Less abstract and provides details about particular data properties and the connections between those attributes to each object. Logical data models do not specify any technical system requirements. After completion, a conceptual data model can be used to generate a logical model that is less abstract.
• Physical data modelling - An implementation of the logical data model created by developers and database managers. Physical models are specific to the database management system (DBMS) or application software that will be used. They specify the formats that will be used to store and handle data in a file system or database and are the least abstract.

Data Modelling Techniques

Different data modelling techniques include:

• Hierarchical data modelling - Organises data in a treelike arrangement. In this type of model, each record has a single root or parent which maps to one or more child tables.
• Relational data modelling - Maps the relationships between data elements stored in different tables that contain sets of rows and columns. Relational modelling led to the creation of relational databases, and by the mid-1990s, its wide range of uses established it as the standard data modelling technique.

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