There is usually quite a big difference

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However, types data that manufacturg enterprises capture are actually very similar; thus, re are great benefits that can be derived by takg advantage common, reusable data structures or universal

1 UNIVERSAL DATA MODELS FOR By Len Silverston There is usually quite a big difference nature various manufacturg enterprises. Each manufacturg enterprise s products may be very unique, ir manufacturg processes are ten quite different and ir strategies may vary greatly. However, types data that manufacturg enterprises capture are actually very similar; thus, re are great benefits that can be derived by takg advantage common, reusable data structures or universal data models. While re are several universal data models available many aspects manufacturg such as design engeerg, manufacturg orders, process plans and production runs, this article focuses on one most critical data areas required manufacturg, namely: products, parts, (ventory) items and deployment manufactured goods at customer locations. Please note that examples used this article are based upon some models manufacturg chapter The Data Model Resource Book, Volume 2 (Wiley, 2001) and that only partial models were excerpted. Also note that models this article are more geared toward discrete manufacturers versus process manufacturers, although some concepts will apply even process manufacturers. Parts are Parts! Gettg Clearer Defitions The nature product data is complex; and re is ten much confusion around defition product, parts and ir associated data. For stance, term bill materials may be used by various parts enterprise such as engeerg, manufacturg, service and sales, although y may all have different defitions what bill materials actually means. Even basic terms product and parts may have several defitions with an enterprise. Do product stances clude customized versions product ferg a particular customer? If parts are types pieces that make up a product, does product have one high-level part that cludes all subassemblies, or are products up multiple parts? Clear defitions, distctions and models products, parts and ventory can facilitate more clear communication between various areas an enterprise. An effective manufacturg product data model can lead to more tegrated and comprehensive product data and mation by clearly showg mation requirements products, parts and items throughout ir life cycle from engeerg to manufacturg to deployment products at customer locations. Figure 1 (see note explag diagrammg notation used) provides an itial data model regardg products and ir associated parts. A product could be defed as a good, service or combation goods and/or services that were, are or will be fered sale by enterprise. However, re are many variations this defition, and enterprises need to customize se universal data models ir environments. For example, should supplier and competitor products be cluded as part

2 product defition? If enterprise ten buys and resells same items from ir suppliers or competitors, it may make sense to enhance defition to clude products fered by enterprise, supplier and/or competitor, rar than havg additional entities each se types products. Figure 1 shows that a PRODUCT may be eir a or a. A is defed as a product that is more tangible nature and generally created advance sale. A is defed as a product that volves use parties time and is less tangible nature than goods. A is defed as a component that is used to make up a product. Each may be a RAW MATERIAL, or a. A RAW MATE- RIAL is a component used makg a product that has not had any work permed on it by enterprise. It is lowest level component that makes up product. A SUBASSEM- BLY is a part that is up or parts and which represents a component with a fished good. A FIN- ISHED is a part that is fished, ready to be shipped and represents highest level bill materials PRODUCT o INTRODUCTION DATE o SALES DISCONTINUATION DATE o SUPPORT DISCONTINUATION DATE Note About Data Modelg Notation Figures The notation this article was developed by Richard Barker and is fully described his book CASE Method: Entity Relationship Modelg (Adison Wesley, 1989). To briefly expla it: A crow s foot (three prongs at end relationship le) dicates that re are many occurrences entity near crow s foot each entity that is not near crow s foot. For example, each may be used to provide one and only one. The dotted le dicates optionality (as opposed to mandatory) each side relationship. Each side relationship is designed to be read as a complete sentence both ways. For example, Figure 1 shows that each FINISHED may be (sce this is a dotted part le) used to provide one and only one. If relationship le is solid, n relationship dicates a mandatory relationship. For example, Figure 3 shows that each must be physical occurrence one and only one. A # front an attribute dicates that this attribute is a key. A * dicates that attribute is a mandatory attribute. An o bee an attribute dicates that attribute is optional. Boxes with boxes dicate subtypes or, or words, subentities. Figure 1: Products and Parts fered usg used to provide # ID component that directly corresponds to a PRODUCT. The data model may vary based upon needs enterprise. For example, if manufacturg organization sells parts that are also used subassemblies, should se parts exist more than one se subtypes (e.g., a part could be both a as well as a )? If this occurs, one may consider modelg subtypes as clusive subtypes. One can portray mutually clusive subtypes by showg an additional box without text around each subtype boxes ( mation engeerg notation, this would be equivalent to each subtype havg its own subtype symbol). For example, if enterprise sells circuit boards, which y purchase from a supplier, and also uses circuit boards anor assembly ir computer, circuit board may be considered to be a as well as a RAW MATERIAL. One may itially conclude that relationship from PRODUCT to is that a PRODUCT may be up many s. However, data model Figure 1 shows opposite relationship, namely that a (and more specifically a FIN- ISHED ) may be used to provide one or more PRODUCTs (and more specifically a ). This illustrates a subtle, yet important distction that can be between PRODUCTs and s. The PRODUCT entity Figure 1 represents a type marketg item that is fered sale, while (and specifically subtype) represents type actual item that physically exists. Many enterprises market same part as multiple product fergs dependg on circumstances or marketg sps. For example, a specific part may be marketed various countries differently and thus same part may be sold and marketed as different product fergs with different names, different pricg structures and different marketg strategies. Anor scenario is that re may be different product fergs same part dependg on tended user product. For example, telephone

PRODUCT o INTRODUCTION DATE o SALES DISCONTINUATION DATE MARKETING PACKAGE # PARENT PRODUCT ID # CHILD PRODUCT ID o REASON up o SUPPORT DISCONTINUATION DATE Figure 2: Bill Materials companies

3 PRODUCT o INTRODUCTION DATE o SALES DISCONTINUATION DATE MARKETING PACKAGE # PARENT PRODUCT ID # CHILD PRODUCT ID o REASON up o SUPPORT DISCONTINUATION DATE Figure 2: Bill Materials companies frequently fer two products, a busess le and a residential le, even though it is same actual part (or more specifically, same fished good). Some enterprises may defe relationship from product to part differently. Anor way to defe this relationship is that a PRODUCT may not always need to have one and only one associated. Instead, a PRODUCT could be up many s, which could be considered to be buildg blocks creatg products. Theree, model shown Figure 1 could be altered by addg an associative entity between PRODUCT and, thus allowg parts to be combed various ways to create product fergs. Neir one se models is superior to or and decision which model to use (cludg or variations) depends on how enterprise defes products and parts ir environment. used fered usg used to provide # PARENT ID # CHILD ID ENGINEERING up # ID Bill Materials and Marketg Packages Manufacturers frequently use term bill materials to refer to how various parts are assembled to or parts and eventually to products. Thus bill materials structure a computer may be broken down to a morboard, a CPU, memory boards, hard-disk drives, a casg, a monitor and a keyboard; and each se parts (or subassemblies) may furr be broken-down to ir constituent parts. On surface, underlyg data structure to accommodate a bill materials seems pretty straightward. Parts are up parts; ree, a many-tomany recursive entity, COM- POSITION, shows which parts are up or parts and which parts are used with which parts. The used s primary key is composed two attributes: part ID parent part and part ID child part, thus matag each parent/child relationship. There are numerous attributes part bill materials that describe how child part fits to parent part. For example, quantity-used attribute shows how many child parts are used parent part (e.g., re could be a quantity used 12 to mata how many screws are a casg). An area that ten causes confusion manufacturg enterprises is that term bill materials can have several meangs various parts organization. The engeerg department may defe bill materials as precise components and specifications required to build any assembly. The manufacturg department may defe bill materials as components that should be used manufacturg process based upon cost, quality and mataability se various components. While manufacturg needs to follow engeerg bill materials and specifications, manufacturg bill materials may differ from engeerg bill materials and it may reference specific parts that are more cost-efficient. The marketg department may have a version a bill materials that bundles additional products, T-shirts, gifts or or creative packagg ideas that may be cluded product ferg. Fally, service department may view bill materials as parts that are actually stalled a particular deployment a product as it changes at customer s location. Should one use same data model construct to represent all se requirements? In most cases, each se bill materials structures represents different types relationships. Figure 2 shows that re are two subtypes to represent each ENGINEERING COMPOSI-

4 TION and each. Each se part compositions may mata different combations parts: one breakdown engeerg purposes and anor breakdown based upon manufacturg needs. The marketg bill materials is typically referred to as a marketg package or a bundle which is represented Figure 2 as a recursive many-to-many relationship between PRODUCTs. Theree, a PRODUCT may be up many or PRODUCTs, each which may have an associated which may, turn, be up or s. The needs service department will be discussed with Inventory and Deployment section. Aga, re could be mor variations to data model based upon enterprise s needs. An enterprise may have a need to store parts used a MARKETING PACKAGE that are never sold as dividual products (e.g., T-shirts mentioned previously). In that case, modeler may want to add a relationship from MARKET- ING PACKAGE to. A MAR- KETING PACKAGE may also clude or elements that are not a or a PRODUCT (e.g., a vacation); ree, re may be additional relationships to MARKETING PACKAGE dependg on needs enterprise. DEPLOYMENT # DEPLOYMENT ID located at deployment deployed via location deployed as located at Inventory and Deployment Thus far, models have represented types thgs: types marketg fergs and types parts that make up marketg fergs. Of course, re are actual physical items that may exist with enterprise s ventory or that may be deployed at customer locations. Figure 3 shows a model portrayg relationships from product to parts to items to deployments. Each represents physical occurrences a at a FACILITY such as a WAREHOUSE or PLANT. s may be eir mataed directly at FACILITY or at a detailed ventory storage location with facility. These detailed locations are referred to model as a CONTAINER, which could represent a specific b, barrel or shelf. Each may be a SERIAL- IZED, which is an item that is tracked dividually (e.g., a computer server) or a NON-SERIALIZED, which is an item that is mataed as a group (e.g., screws a b). Theree, quantity on hand is mataed SERIALIZED s, and a serial number is mataed non-serialized items. An may be owned by a Y such as a particular subsidiary modeled enterprise or it may be owned by anor party, such as a customer who owns ventory on consignment. Each may be up or s as represented by, thus providg capability to store actual components an ventory item and how y are configured. This structure is ten used to represent bill materials structure needs service department which ten wants to know configuration physical items that exist, wher at a customer location or ventory. A DEPLOYMENT represents settg up a product at a customer site usg associated item(s). Some manufacturers would like to know mation about deployment each physical items as y FACILITY # FACILITY ID o SQUARE FOOTAGE o DESCRIPTION volvg DEPLOYMENT ROLE # DEPLOYMENT ID # Y ID # ROLE TYPE ID used by DEPLOYMENT ROLE TYPE # ROLE TYPE ID CUSTOMER LOCATION # PARENT INV ID # CHILD INV ID o QUANTITY # ID owned by owner actg Y # Y ID SERIALIZED * SERIAL NUMBER move from one customer s facility to anor facility. While y won t always know this mation, it can be strumental trackg where products are beg used and associated demographics ir users. For stance, a computer manufacturer may be very terested facts that ir Extreme 5 PC serial #3984d98e was purchased by ABC Company, Inc. on April 23, 2000, was n taken as a trade- back to ir ventory and n deployed aga at XYZ Company on June 13, The model shows a DEPLOY- NON SERIALIZED * QUANTITY ON HAND located with storage contaer CONTAINER # CONTAINER ID located at location location WAREHOUSE Figure 3: Inventory Items and Deployment up PLANT used OTHER FACILITY physical occurrence description # PARENT ID # CHILD ID ENGINEERING # ID MENT ROLE entity allowg any number Ys to be associated to DEPLOYMENT any DEPLOYMENT ROLE TYPE. For stance, re could be many parties associated with deployment various roles such as person who stalled deployment, technical contact and billg contact. Of course, dependg on needs enterprise, this relationship may be different. For example, if only requirement were to mata a sgle user each DEPLOYED PRODUCT, data model would show a one-to-many relationship from Y to DEPLOYMENT. Is a DEPLOYMENT necessary or is it sufficient to record a many-to-many up fered usg used used to provide

5 relationship between each and various FACILITYs where is located? If that were case, re would be an associative entity between and FACILITY, which could very well be called a DEPLOYMENT. The only difference with model shown Figure 3 is that key to deployment is deployment ID because it may be possible that ventory item is not known. For stance, a service representative could fd that re was a deployed product but not know exact item(s) associated with that deployment. The models this article provide template data structures modelg a portion core subject data areas with manufacturg, namely: products, parts, items and deployments products at customer locations. It is important to realize that se universal data models are tended to fer sights and possibilities modelg data order to save time and provide data constructs that have been implemented successfully, and y are not end-all answer to data modelg issues. These models are designed to be used as eir startg-pot modelg efts or as a pot--reference developg customized data models that are tailored to an enterprise s needs. Enterprises may defe products, parts, items and deployments differently or use different termology. However, many concepts and issues discussed this article will be very applicable most manufacturg enterprises. A special thanks to Ed Landale who reviewed and fered additional sights and perspectives on universal data models presented this article. Len Silverston is a data management consultant with more than 20 years experience helpg enterprises tegrate data. He is author best-sellg The Data Model Resource Book series (Wiley, 2001), which describes more than 230 tegrated, reusable generic and dustry-specific data models. Silverston has developed extensive stware versions se data models, some which are now licensed worldwide by Microst and ors that are available licensg directly. Silverston s company, Universal Data Models, provides consultg, trag and stware to jump-start data modelg and data warehouse design efts while creasg design quality and facilitatg data tegration. Silverston can be reached at lsilverston@univdata.com.

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