A subject area model is a data modeling technique used in data warehousing to organize data around specific business areas or subject areas. The model is designed to provide a high-level view of the data, focusing on the business concepts and processes rather than the technical details.
Subject area models are typically used in large and complex organizations where data is distributed across multiple systems and databases. By grouping data into subject areas, organizations can better manage and understand the data and ensure consistency and accuracy across different business functions.
The subject area model typically includes the following components:
- Subject area: This is the primary business area or domain that the model represents, such as sales, finance, or human resources.
- Entities: These are the business concepts or objects that are relevant to the subject area. For example, in the sales subject area, entities might include customers, orders, and products.
- Attributes: These are the specific characteristics or properties of the entities. For example, attributes of a customer might include name, address, and phone number.
- Relationships: These are the associations or connections between the entities. For example, a customer can have many orders, and an order can have many products.