What s a BA to do with Data? Discover and define standard data elements in business terms

Transcription

1 What s a BA to do with Data? Discover and define standard data elements in business terms Susan Block, Lead Business Systems Analyst The Vanguard Group

2 Discussion Points Discovering Business Data The Data Administration Process Business Terms & Requirements Benefits of using Business Terms & Metadata Shared Vocabulary vs. Glossary Next Steps to Getting Started > 2

3 Discovering Business Data Business Data is everywhere you look Glossary System Interfaces Business Entities Business Rules Business Reports & Publications Business Metrics Information Repositories Data Dictionary Business Processes Data Models > 3

4 Discovering Business Data When Business Analysts elicit requirements Process is enabled by data Data is understood in context of Process Data Dichotomies Data at rest vs. data in motion Business perspective vs. IT perspective on data Historical vs. Real-time data Operational vs. Reference vs. Analytical data Business Data should not be just an afterthought of Requirements Analysis > 4

5 Discovering Business Data Discover Business Data in context of its processes Most Business Data discovery is part of software development projects Identify the data from the start of the project Data scoping can be coupled with business capabilities Business Analyst partners with Business Data Administration Maintenance and reuse of Business Data s metadata > 5

6 What is Business Data Administration? Standardization of data elements into a Shared Vocabulary of Business Terms Including the capture of Information Security Classifications Implementation of the data stewardship process Management of the Shared Vocabulary, its processes, and tools, as a resource for the business units and software development teams Formalization of the Business data discovery and analysis process Integrated with Business Clients, Data Architects, Business Analysts, and Application Architects > 6

7 Data Administration Terminology Data Stewardship Quality control of data Information Security Security level associated with access to data Shared Vocabulary Reconciliation of a variety of business terms into a common term and definition Business Term A data element owned, stewarded, and/or consumed by business units Metadata Description of an information asset > 7

8 Shared Vocabulary Example > 8

9 Data Administration Process Flow Capture data as it is sourced and used Data Discovery Define vocabulary, translate codes, standardize rules Data Assessment Assign classification, align business domain Data Alignment Document metadata & target data structure Data Harmonization > 9

10 Data Alignment & Harmonization Analysis & Mapping Understand data context Determine data consistency and cleanliness Discover related data elements for grouping Facilitate gap analysis Unambiguous naming Transformation Harmonization Enable creation of data in context of enterprise data Enable load to application datastores Maintain audit trail Standardization & Quality Match and reconcile related data elements Remove duplicate, redundant data Utilize industry standards Reengineer data to match single corporate standard Quality process to ensure data integrity > 10

11 Business Term Example > 11

12 Business Term Attributes (Metadata) > 12

13 Integration with Requirements Process Gather requirements BTRM definition leads to discussion of business usage Functional requirements decomposition leads to data association Analyze requirements Derive requirements from BTRMs metadata (e.g. business rules) CRUD (Create-Read-Update-Delete) analysis of requirements Document requirements Shared vocabulary promotes consistency and readability of requirements thus improving quality Manage requirements BTRMs and requirements are updated in tandem > 13

14 BTRMs in Requirements & Business Rules Captures affinity between business data and business rules that act upon the data Value is in the business ability to reference business information beyond the system implementation (i.e. visible to the business outside the application) > 14

15 Benefits of Using Business Terms & Metadata Business Benefits Creates a common vocabulary across business units Enables realization of data stewardship Promotes secure sharing of information assets Offers the business greater visibility into information usually known within IT applications Becomes basis for business impact analysis Compliments Business Intelligence & SOA solutions IT Benefits Provides clear data definition and data lineage Improves comprehension of requirements Captures defined data scope Provides standardization for solution assessment Enables data reuse and quicker application development Becomes basis for IT impact analysis > 15 Creates a common vocabulary between business & IT

16 Business Analysis Body of Knowledge TM Touch Points with Shared Vocabulary Identify opportunity for reuse Scoping of data context and business terms Publication and approval of requirements and business terms Business term discovery & definition Analysis of functional requirements & rules acting upon data Common vocabulary and standardization for assessment of multiple solutions > 16

17 BTRMs and Software Development Software Development Process coordination with: Data Architects Business Units (SME and Information Owners/Stewards) Business Analysts Data Developers Testers BTRMs and their classifications are fully integrated via the tasks: data Discovery context, usage, source, constraint, scope data Definition description, attribution, collection of information to facilitate the translation to technical perspective data Design implementation structure data Deployment database structure available for coding against For any software development approach (D 4 ), including the Agile methodology > 17

18 Requirements Traceability - Predecessors Business Capability Product Construct Agile Project Construct System Capability Data Set System Function Agile Story Requirement > 18 Business Term Business Rule

19 Requirements Traceability - Successors Business Capability Product Construct Agile Project Construct System Capability Data Set System Function Agile Story Requirement Design Element Business Term Business Rule System Test Case Entity/ Attribute Table/ Column > 19

20 Shared Vocabulary vs. Glossary Business Term definitions are not IT generalizations For example, Security Alternate Identifier Type Code aka, Stock Ticker Business Term metadata answers where did it come from where is it stored who is permitted to receive it where is it used > 20

21 Shared Vocabulary vs. Glossary Project Glossary Requirements artifact Can be utilized for stand-alone systems, where the data is not relevant to other business units or applications Covers just enough to support the business and technical needs within the specific aspect of a software development project Does not capture attributes about the data element beyond its name and definition Shared Vocabulary Business client s repository of Business Terms Holds reconciled data elements as a reusable version Provides the catalog of what already exists, which has been vetted with Information Security Business Data Discovery may result in new BTRMs or expansion of existing BTRMs with broader business context and usage > 21

22 Next Steps How to get started? Use consistent business terms in requirements Manage aliases for communicating with various clients Incorporate the D4 (Discover, Define, Design, Deploy) approach to integrate data with requirements Focus on subject areas that are critical to the business enterprise > 22 Client Product/Service Corporate Infrastructure (e.g. Employees, Departments, Accounts) Adopt incremental rigor in the process Approvals Change control Versioning / Audit Trail Use simple tools while initiating the process Capture metadata to promote stewardship and reuse as the process matures