Turning spider webs into understanding

Every time I teach data modeling, there are some people in class who get a bit nervous.

Data modeling is, well, just different.

It’s not just a different set of techniques, it’s a different way of thinking.

And it often seems to be more technical in nature, so someone with more of a business background might falsely assume they can’t model data without knowing SQL or how to code.

(I don’t know SQL and the last coding class I took was PASCAL in high school, and it was already outdated.)

But I can, and certainly do, use data modeling techniques to think more technically.

(As well as to think more clearly about business concepts and their relationships, which isn’t technical at all.)

And I teach business analysts, testers, product owners, and even software developers, to do the same.

Consider this feedback from Susan:

“ERDs are not scary anymore!!! The lessons include practical information you really use.”

And this one from Adriana:

“I was invited to a meeting last week to review the ERDs for a project I'm working on. I was able to engage and ask questions I would not have been able to ask in previous weeks."

And in case you are wondering, an ERD looks like this:

To go a bit deeper, I have an absolutely free resource for you - it's a free ERD download + a simple tutorial.

Click here to download the sample ERD + tutorial

You might be wondering if you really need this skill. Here are 5 types of projects where data modeling is critical:

1. Improving a business process (because processes manipulate data, or information).
2. Adding a field to a page (that field is a piece of data).
3. Migrating to a new enterprise system (which involves moving data).
4. Integrating 2 or more systems (data passes back and forth).
5. And, of course, any type of AI or BI effort.

I can't imagine a scenario where a business analyst isn't involved in at least ONE of these types of projects. If you are trying to ignore learning how to data model, the ice is getting thinner.

Now is the time to upskill!

An Entity Relationship Diagram is a powerful technique that enables you to visually model how business concepts relate and get a clearer picture of how the business manages information.

I absolutely can’t wait to help you cultivate your data-oriented mindset in next week’s Entity Relationship Diagramming Workshop.