JCK - Excellence in Data Architecture

EXCELLENCE IN DATA ARCHITECTURE

since 1989

4348 Pine Grove Ave
Fort Gratiot MI USA
48059-3732
V: 810 982-8639

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The Weakest Link in Business

Data Structure and User Reality

Business Events and Mathematical Modeling

What is User Focused Data Architecture?

The Weakest Link in Business

You remember the old proverb: "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." This old saying is as true as it ever was. In any sequence where each step depends upon another, the success of the entire sequence depends on the strength of each step. The length of the chain and soundness of the anchor don’t matter as much as the strength of the weakest member of the chain.

This is particularly important when considering Information Systems support of an enterprise. Information Systems exists to support end users. Technicians don’t just move bytes around, then move them to support the operations of some end users. Though these users may not understand Information Systems intricacies, they certainly understand their operations. In fact, user operations could be thought of as a chain in their own right, something like this:

Since 1989, JCK has been devoted to teaching and implementing the principles of User-Focused Data Architecture. UFDA is based on the principle that the users are the data experts in any organization. Sound data architecture should focus on extracting the user's knowledge, clarifying ambiguous defintions, and building understandable data structures. These definitions and structures serve as the basis for system development. The first and most well known UFDA technique is Extended Relational Analysis ™ (ERA), which has been proven for decades. More recent techniques include Business Event Analysis & Modeling ™ (BEAM), which is useful for both Transactional Systems (BEAM TSS) and Decision Support Systems (BEAM DSS).