This section defines attribute type concepts, their documentation and the determination of entity identifiers. It also covers the definition and documentation of domains and corresponding business algorithms.
The identification of attribute types enables us to describe the detail of previously defined entity types. This enhances our understanding of the entity types and often results in a refinement of the entity relationship model.
Attribute types also are part of the definition of information views during Information View Analysis, and in that role participate in the definition of the way that processes are dependent on each other.
The attribute types identified are used in subsequent stages of the IEM for designing the details of data structures.
Domains tell us the nature of an attribute type (i.e., the sort of value it is meant to represent). This is useful for defining validation rules in procedure design, since an attribute can be validated based on the domain to which it belongs.
Knowing the domain of an attribute type also allows us to decide if two attribute types represent the same thing. This is useful for refining the entity relationship model by enabling us to detect overlapping and redundant entity analysis objects. It also enables us to decide if two attribute types can be used together in a comparison or calculation.
Section Overview : Attribute Type and Domain Definition Technique
Techniques Overview : Techniques
Overview : Table of Contents