Data Architecture
Data Architecture helps enterprises understand what information they have, what it describes and how it connects. The asset catalog, enterprise models and links to standards and actual data provide a shared language, reducing conflicting meanings, duplicate definitions and cross-system communication costs.
From subjects to properties
| Level | Content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| L1 Subject domain group | A major category of enterprise information | Parties and Organizations |
| L2 Subject domain | A closely related information theme | Supplier Information |
| L3 Business object | A thing with a clear identity, boundary and business meaning | Supplier, Supplier Qualification |
| L4 Logical entity | One structural view of a business object | Supplier Basic Information, Supplier Contact Information |
| L5 Property | A specific business attribute of an entity | Supplier Code, Name, Contact Person |
Enterprises can refine the subject tree to suit their needs. Each business object has one canonical filing location, preferably a sufficiently specific subject. Additional subject levels do not change the relationship between business objects, logical entities and properties.
Manage subject classification
Subject domains organize information by meaning, such as Supplier Information, Product Information and Order Information. Teams can browse the tree to find business objects, related physical tables and responsibility coverage.
Each business object has one canonical subject. A Supplier used by procurement, finance and quality teams retains one shared definition, with business relationships expressing its use across the enterprise.
Define business objects
Business objects represent people, things, documents, events or other business concepts that the enterprise needs to identify and govern over time. A record describes:
- Its code, name and business definition;
- Its boundary, including what is included and excluded;
- Its canonical subject;
- Its enterprise or domain maintenance scope;
- The capabilities that produce, maintain or consume it.
Business object codes are unique within the registry and remain unchanged after creation, providing a stable reference.
Understand business participation
| Relationship | Meaning | Supplier example |
|---|---|---|
| Originates | Which capability produces the object | Supplier Onboarding |
| Maintains | Which capability maintains the object | Supplier Management |
| Consumes | Which capability uses the object | Sourcing and Procurement, Financial Settlement |
A capability can play several roles. These relationships show how information is used across the enterprise and identify collaborators. Application Architecture adds the view of systems and services handling that data.
Business objects and business terms
A business term defines the meaning of a word; a business object describes a thing with identity, structure and relationships. Approved Supplier can be a term that aligns business interpretation, while Supplier organizes the information structure of the object.
Build logical models and connect actual data
Logical models organize entities, properties, relationships and constraints around business objects. A supplier, for example, can have several contacts and qualifications, with each entity describing its own attributes and relationships.
Physical mappings connect logical entities and properties to actual tables and columns. Users can move from business concepts to system data or trace a table back to the objects it implements. One table may implement several objects, and several systems may carry data for the same object.
Enterprise and domain maintenance
Centralized mode maintains business objects at enterprise scope. Federated mode supports both shared enterprise objects and domain objects maintained by their responsible teams. Central teams can coordinate definitions and maintain records across domains.
Objects can be promoted to enterprise scope or moved to a domain after reference checks. The conditions follow the same rules as Standards, preserving valid relationships with existing users of those definitions.
Connect datasets
Datasets use business objects to describe the information they offer. Each dataset identifies one primary business object and may include supporting objects.
Supplier 360, for example, can use Supplier as its primary object and include Supplier Qualification. Users discover the dataset through its subjects, then inspect its ports, contracts and available environments.
Operating Model
Choose centralized or federated governance and define the responsibilities of central and domain teams so every governance activity has clear ownership.
Application Architecture
Manage the enterprise application portfolio and understand how systems, modules, services and integrations support business capabilities and handle data.