[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]

RE: [Summary] Should Subject Matter Experts Determine XML Data

  • From: "Michael Kay" <mike@s...>
  • To: "'Kurt Cagle'" <kurt.cagle@g...>,"'Costello, Roger L.'" <costello@m...>
  • Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 23:05:41 +0100

RE:  [Summary] Should Subject Matter Experts Determine XML Data
 
In my experience designing ontologies for different groups, one thing that I find keeps cropping up is that SMEs tend to create data structures that most closely approximate their understanding of a subject, not necessarily that provides the most optimal representation of that data model.  
 
My experience is complementary: I usually find that different business people have different perspectives on the information, and your job as data architect is to moderate / facilitate dialogue / knock heads together.
 
My first ever XML job was to design some application-interchange messages for a cable TV company. Not seen by them as a data architecture job let alone a business consultancy job; but within a couple of days I was moderating an animated discussion between people from different divisions of the company about whether or not their business plan included selling to hotels or not. So: never assume that anyone you are talking to has the whole picture.
 
In this particular company the business people were much more inclined to think in terms of business processes than information assets, so the business process tended to be the starting point. But they were a lot more interested in processes that were useful to the business, like installing new customers, than into "grudge processes" like disconnecting ex-customers. When you started discussing how things like that were supposed to work, they would quickly lose interest and say "just make it happen".
 
Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/


[Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index]


PURCHASE STYLUS STUDIO ONLINE TODAY!

Purchasing Stylus Studio from our online shop is Easy, Secure and Value Priced!

Buy Stylus Studio Now

Download The World's Best XML IDE!

Accelerate XML development with our award-winning XML IDE - Download a free trial today!

Don't miss another message! Subscribe to this list today.
Email
First Name
Last Name
Company
Subscribe in XML format
RSS 2.0
Atom 0.3
 

Stylus Studio has published XML-DEV in RSS and ATOM formats, enabling users to easily subcribe to the list from their preferred news reader application.


Stylus Studio Sponsored Links are added links designed to provide related and additional information to the visitors of this website. they were not included by the author in the initial post. To view the content without the Sponsor Links please click here.

Site Map | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks
Free Stylus Studio XML Training:
W3C Member
Stylus Studio® and DataDirect XQuery ™are products from DataDirect Technologies, is a registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation, in the U.S. and other countries. © 2004-2013 All Rights Reserved.