A practical checklist for data modelling

This is one of those topics that looks small until it costs you something. Run through this the next time data modelling comes up.

Most data problems are ownership problems that turned into technical ones. The version that survives contact with a real deadline is the simple one.

The checklist

• The model outlives the application built on top of it
• Name things the way the business names them
• Model what is true, not what is convenient this quarter
• Someone is named as the owner
• There is a date to review it again

Why this earns attention

The model outlives the application built on top of it. Small and consistent beats large and occasional here. Budget a little time for it every quarter and it never becomes a project of its own.

How to tell if yours is fine

Data outlives the applications built on top of it, which is why the model deserves more thought than the screens. Three things worth confirming about data modelling before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• The model outlives the application built on top of it — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

Pick the one that would hurt most if it failed, and start there.