Businesses rely on data for important decision-making, but may need to justify the Return on Investment (ROI) of data modeling within their organization. In this whitepaper, Tom Haughey discusses how to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of data modeling by assessing the economic value of real data modeling benefits, such as improved requirements definition, reduced maintenance, accelerated development, improved data quality and reuse of existing data assets.
Migrating from one data modeling tool to another doesn’t have to be difficult or painful. Use this migration guide to take you through the steps for importing your ERwin data models into ER/Studio.
Corporate data is dramatically increasing in importance. It is imperative to have trustworthy data that correctly represents all aspects of the business environment. Data modeling can be a useful way to improve data quality and integrity and establish the foundation for a business-driven data architecture. This Dimensional Research report contains a summary of survey results from 402 business and data stakeholders, covering current trends in corporate data and data modeling.
The data warehouse is an established concept and discipline that is discussed in many books, conferences and seminars. Into this world comes a new technology – Big Data. In this paper, William Inmon describes the differences and similarities between data warehouse architectures and Big Data technologies.
In this paper, Claudia Imhoff, Ph.D., describes an analytical architecture that expands on the existing Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) to include new data sources, storage mechanisms, and data handling techniques needed to support both conventional sources of data and those supplying Big Data.
This DATAVERSITY report consolidates the findings of their NoSQL survey, which examined a number of crucial issues within the NoSQL world today, with a focus on data modeling in particular.
Is your organization working on Agile or Scrum development projects? Many companies are moving to these methodologies for applications and databases, but haven’t taken them all the way back to the data models. In this whitepaper, Karen Lopez provides 10 tips and discusses ways for data modelers to work with sprint-focused agile development projects.
This analyst report examines the growing importance of model-driven processes for database design and management. The paper specifically focuses on the role and common use cases for business-driven metadata in database modeling, design, and development tools and how Embarcadero’s ER/Studio solution addresses the needs of today’s enterprise data landscapes.
Whether you’re working with relational data, schema-less data, or model metadata, you face challenges in providing the right access and context for your enterprise data assets. Read this eBook for essential insights on important data architecture topics.
Data architects face many challenges on a day-to-day basis which have made data modeling and metadata management more important than ever. The models and associated metadata are the only means by which complex data environments can truly be understood and managed. This whitepaper highlights five major challenge areas, and provide insights regarding how to address them with data modeling.
Everything about data has changed, but that only means that data models are even more essential to understanding that data so that businesses can know what it means. As development methodologies change to incorporate Agile workflows, data architects must adapt to ensure models stay relevant and accurate. This whitepaper describes key requirements for Agile data modeling and shows how ER/Studio supports this methodology.
There are multiple considerations for collaborating on metadata within an organization, and you need a good metadata strategy to define and manage the right processes for a successful implementation. In this white paper, David Loshin describes how to enhance enterprise knowledge sharing by using collaborative metadata for structure, content, and semantics.
As an independent consultant, Ron Huizenga used both ERwin and ER/Studio with a wide range of customers. Based on his experience and evaluation, he concluded that ER/Studio had the right features and capabilities to address the complex enterprise data architecture needs of his clients. Read this paper to learn why he made the switch to ER/Studio.
In today’s enterprise data environment, businesses are dealing with a larger volume of data that has expanded in its variety and velocity, and must assess how to integrate the new ‘big data’ with their existing relational assets. In this analyst report, Carl Olofson shares his insights on the challenges, strategies, and benefits of working with complex data landscapes.
Metadata needs to be organized and managed if it is to be leveraged effectively. Published in the DBTA Best Practices Series, this article describes metadata and its value, outlines the importance of integrating metadata in an enterprise data environment, and reviews approaches to implementation.
As a modeling and collaboration platform, ER/Studio is a very capable environment to define, manage and organize metadata effectively. This allows business and data consumers understand how data is used across the organization. This Tech Note documents some of the features that make ER/Studio Data Architect and ER/Studio Team Server particularly well-suited for handling metadata.
In this white paper, Robin Bloor and Rebecca Jowiak from The Bloor Group discuss the value of metadata and the importance of organizing it well. Learn about the benefits of the ER/Studio Team Server, which lets you:
Your data models are brilliant... but only if the DBAs and developers are on the same page. Get more value through collaboration. How? In this white paper, Karen Lopez from InfoAdvisors, Inc. discusses strategies on how to build a little more teamwork and collaboration and get a lot more value from data modeling.
In this paper, you’ll learn:
To learn all you can about data modeling for your data warehouse and what to look out for, you need to know how to identify the primary issues that surface. This awareness can help when you run into a scenario where you find architecture that is not fully documented and different from the rest of your database designs.
In this whitepaper we’ll focus on seven common database design “sins” that can be easily avoided and suggest ways to correct them.
To help you avoid pitfalls in your data architecture, Karen López describes how to: understand the benefits of an effective enterprise data modeling effort; identify seven common mistakes that organizations can make in developing enterprise data models; and establish a plan to address those issues with ER/Studio
Use these strategies to define and deploy a successful enterprise data model in your company.
While data architects like to collaborate amongst themselves using their own procedures and language, they need to consider improving our interaction with our business clients. This paper discusses five things you can do right now to improve collaboration with business users.
In this whitepaper, data management expert Kelle O’Neal leads you through the process of creating a sustainable data governance program:
Guerilla governance speeds up the process and reduces costs by focusing scarce resources on projects that add the most value to your organization.
In this whitepaper, data management expert Kelle O’Neal shows you how to:
To help you make a business case for data governance within your own organization, we’ve teamed up with Kelle O’Neal on a whitepaper called “Making the Business Case for Data Governance” that walks you through a step-by-step process to:
Download the whitepaper “How NOT to Govern Data: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid” to discover:
This expert whitepaper will show you the true, cascading costs of using tools such as Visio or Excel for data modeling. You’ll learn how using tools built specifically for data modeling can help you achieve up to a 387% ROI in year one.
During the last few years, several database market dynamics have led many people to question the utility of data modeling. In particular, the advent of XML information management, growing frustration with traditional relational database management system (RDBMS) capabilities and vendor relationships, and the expanding influence of cloud platforms have led many organizations to reconsider their commitments to the practice of data modeling. Read this paper for perspectives on why data modeling is more important than ever before, and that organizations that seek to fully leverage database market dynamics must redouble their focus on data modeling.
Almost all business applications track information about people and organizations, recording information about customers, suppliers, subsidiaries, departments, employees, and contractors redundantly in many different systems. For this reason, it is very difficult to keep key information such as client contact data consistent and accurate. Examples of applications that store information about people and organizations include sales, marketing, purchasing, order entry, invoicing, project management, and accounting.
Summary: We need data governance in our organizations and we need it to be done correctly. We as data professionals cannot solve this problem alone. In fact, we can’t solve it at all. This is a business issue. We cannot force compliance into systems after the fact, nor can we engineer it into solutions without business ownership of their governance and compliance processes. This paper lays out 5 things we must do to ensure our data governance, stewardship and compliance programs are successful.
More and more organizations are recognizing the benefits of data warehouses and their ability to support critical business intelligence initiatives. Yet many DW/BI projects fail due to poor collaboration on business requirements, faulty designs, and lack of solid metadata. Many of these challenges can be overcome through effective data modeling practices and data modeling tools.
The dictionary definition of a heuristic is “Computers, Mathematics: pertaining to a trial-and-error method of problem solving used when an algorithmic approach is impractical.” which means this is what you do when you do not know what to do next. The term “normalization” comes from Dr. Codd, who borrowed it from the thencurrent political climate in which we were trying to normalize relations with the Soviet block. The goal is to remove redundancy from a database schema and to have the schema maintain some data integrity without procedural code.
Most of us began programming in procedural languages. But SQL is a declarative language. Chris Date described the difference as “What, not How” in one of his books. SQL has three sub-languages; the DDL or Data Declaration Language, the DML or Data Manipulation Language and the DCL or Data Control Language.
The 2000 book Me Talk Pretty One Day (ISBN 978-0316777728) is a collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. He moved to a rural part of Normandy, France, and had no idea how to speak or read French at the time. The humor comes from his frustrated attempts to learn the language and culture. The locals knew him as the American idiot who scares their animals by screaming. The warning on electrified fences was in French and a great source of amusement for the neighbors
Dr. Codd’s original relational algebra had eight basic operations. Since RDBMS is based on set theory the first four are traditional set operations: intersection, set difference, union and product These operations are available in SQL, respectively, as INTERSECT, EXCEPT, UNION, and CROSS JOIN respectively.
SQL is the first programming language to have temporal data types in it. If COBOL had done this, we would never have had the "Y2K Crisis" we survived a few years ago. SQL- 92 added temporal data to the language, acknowledging most of what was already in most SQL product by that time. The problem is that each vendor made a trade-off internally. We will get into SQL code later, but since this is an area where people do not have a good understanding, it is better to start with foundations.
If you cruise SQL programming newsgroups, you will eventually find a post for what is called EAV (“Entity-Attribute-Value”) tables. It is a very common schema design error for programmers who started with an OO, work with NoSQL (attribute, value) pairs or a loosely typed programming language.
Cardinality has nothing to do with song birds or Catholic church officials. It is a term from set theory that deals with the size of a set. Originally, Georg Cantor invented the term, so that he could talk about infinite sets like integers, real numbers, irrationals, power sets and so forth.
Pick any two positive integers. Add them and get a third number. Then use the last two numbers and do it again. And again, for a long time. Finally, take the ratio of the last two numbers. Without any other information I am sure that ratio will be ~1.618033988749894848204586834. This is called the Golden Ratio or φ, and it works out to (1 + √5)/2. It occurs as a law of nature. Nobody programmed it, per-arranged it or used a magic trick on you.
Debugging, though a tough option inside SQL Server, has come a long way with the integration with Visual Studio to make SQL Server Management Studio much more powerful. These additions to SSMS have increased the productivity of Developers and DBA’s alike. This whitepaper introduces you to the debugger techniques introduced with SQL Server 2012.
Whether you are preparing for an interview for a new job or vying for the next level within an organization, sometimes it’s hard to know where or how to get started. This eBook provides career tips that are helpful to database professionals that are looking to move their career to the next level.
DBAs face many challenges working with SQL Server. A lot of time is spent managing and troubleshooting this tool and there is not enough time to appreciate or explore what the tool has to offer. In this whitepaper, Pinal Dave shares some of his tips and techniques that utilize some of the capabilities available with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that can help you enhance your productivity.
Linchpin People makes a business of performing WellDBA™ exams to help clients troubleshoot and optimize their SQL Server environments. This whitepaper summarizes a few of the top mistakes that they find organizations making. In most cases they are really things that DBAs just may not be aware of.
Security is often an afterthought when it comes to working with Software. In this whitepaper, we will take a tour of some of the basic fundamental blocks that define security inside SQL Server — permissions. We will also look at some of the enhancements introduced from a security point of view with SQL Server.
Developers or DBA have an natural inclination to work with SQL Server Management studio day-in day-out. Lesser known to then is the fact, how cool and productive their tool can be. This white paper will show some of the top 12 cool tips for working with a SQL Server management studio that you always wanted to know.
This paper outlines the security features introduced with SQL Server 2014. Have you ever wanted to keep an Administrator locked out? Did you have a scenario where you wanted to give only limited read access to the whole server for people like Auditors? This whitepaper fill focus on these topics extensively.
Locking and blocking are fundamental to any database to maintain consistency. In this paper we will look at the various ways to identify potential problems of locking and blocking, how they are different and what options SQL Server gives to resolve them.
Sybase ASE DBAs have always tackled complex tasks amidst shifting priorities, and pressures only continue to mount. This paper outlines trends impacting Sybase ASE DBAs and teaches techniques critical to streamline and automate database management.
As a DB2 DBA, you are expected to keep key database systems available and optimized for high performance. This paper details techniques to streamline and automate the management of critical areas required for high database performance and availability -- regardless of the database type or version.
Learn how considering just the feature matrix for a database tool is a mistake. This top 10 guide provides valuable insights that can directly impact your personal productivity (and sanity).
Data is everywhere. Databases are growing at exponential rates across the globe, and someone has to manage the chaos. This is happening as new competitive pressures are forcing companies to continually streamline workforces.
But what does this mean for today’s DBAs? Find out in this whitepaper on The Changing Role of the DBA.
This paper examines some of the features that are crucial to the success of developing with and deploying an embedded database. It will highlight key features of InterBase® and contrast InterBase with other database alternatives for embedded applications. While large enterprises require complex database management systems that can support thousands of users, manage terabytes of data, and need a highly trained support staff, The requirements for an embedded database are quite different from those of an enterprise DBMS.
This technical paper from Embarcadero will help you develop application code that is production ready by exploring best practices in a five-step load testing workflow.
A new year brings with it a new set of business challenges as wellas fresh opportunity for forward-thinking companies to navigate anincreasingly complex data management landscape.
In this whitepaper, Jonathan Lewis shows you his highly-evolved strategy for writing more efficient SQL.
Optimizing System Performance Using Prevent, Find, and Fix Methodologies Embarcadero Technologies
Using Modern Database Management Tools to Simplify and Streamline SOX Compliance
As modern database change management techniques for the Sybase DBA become more sophisticated, there is an inherent need for practitioners to be aware of the increasingly powerful tools available to them.
The productivity benefits of using commercial Eclipse-based Java IDE products from IBM (IBM Rational Application Developer), Genuitec (MyEclipse), and CodeGear (JBuilder) compared to the freely downloadable baseline Eclipse configuration.
Learn why Windows 10, the most significant PC release in many years, is a big opportunity for software developers. Gain an understanding of how RAD Studio developers are ideally placed to take advantage of Windows 10 and why now is the time to prepare for new ways of developing and deploying Windows applications.
The new InterBase® patent pending feature “Change Views” introduces a new approach to tracking data changes (with field level granularity) in server as well as personal computer/tablet/mobile databases. It is designed for today’s mobile centric world. Furthermore, Change Views offer developers a way to break traditional constraints in their thinking about data change tracking and the life span of data in briefcase models. Through its Change Views technology, InterBase provides easy access to a highly scalable change-tracking engine that developers can easily mold to fit their requirements, regardless of whether they need to keep 1 or 100,000 destinations up-to-date.
Enterprise Mobility Services (EMS) is a multi-tier framework that first shipped with RAD Studio XE7. This white paper is designed to provide you, the software professional, with the information you need to get started with EMS today. You will learn how EMS interfaces with the various technologies necessary to support your applications, and why this approach is so valuable in today's distributed computing landscape. The paper continues by showing you how to get started with your EMS development including how to install EMS and make basic calls into this service. Importantly, these calls are standard REST REpresentational State Transfer) calls, which can be emitted by any language or framework that understands HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). After a brief discussion of REST, you will learn how to make some of these basic calls using a browser, RAD Studio's REST Debugger, and a Delphi application.
A global survey, sponsored by Embarcadero Technologies, reveals 2015 will be a big year for developing business solutions with integrated “Things” – such as industrial sensors, drones, health monitors and smart buildings. The majority (84%) of software developers building IoT solutions in 2015 are targeting business markets, while only 16% are exclusively targeting consumers.
Today, apps are connected with an expectation to easily store information across multiple platforms and devices while still providing immediate and instant access to the user’s data and files. Whether you’re building a new app or updating an existing one, add these 5 BaaS features to your app and you will drive an increase in user engagement and retention.
Thank you for your interest in reviewing RAD Studio XE6, Embarcadero’s complete software development solution for building true native applications for Windows, Android, iOS and Mac OS X from a single codebase. This Reviewer’s Guide will give you an overview of some of the key benefits that developers will enjoy with RAD Studio XE6 as well as a walkthrough by building both multi-device apps and Windows applications.
Unit testing is an important topic. Very important. Unit testing can mean the difference between a codebase that is clean and maintainable and one that is impossible to maintain.
Many businesses today are looking to identify opportunities to increase efficiency in their business processes and to expand opportunity by using apps on mobile devices. While this is positive,organizations must manage the initiative correctly in order to minimize risk of failure, as getting it wrong can cost much more than just the initial budget allocated for the project; in both time and money, it can severely damage an organization's reputation. Read this White Paper and avoid common missteps.
This 42-page technical white paper covers a typical scenario in the IT world including architecture and techniques for connecting with a database server and providing data to different front-ends using different technologies.
This white paper has been written to help developers that are using versions of Delphi or RAD Studio that were released previous to the launch of Delphi 2009. Read this paper if you are looking for more information on why and how to Unicode-enable a codebase that has been developed using a pre-Unicode enabled version.
Throughout this paper, we will investigate many of the capabilities of the FM Application Platform involved in data visualization. We will cover the important role that FM primitives and vector graphics play in visualizing data.
We will take a look at charting and how we can incorporate modern looking charts into our own applications. We will also be taking a deep dive into customized lists on mobile devices and leveraging custom FM controls to achieve very rich displays. And finally, we will investigate how to create truly stunning hi-res images generated from mathematical data.
Learn how to connect with more data, more easily and on more devices with this in-depth technical white paper by Cary Jensen. Enterprise data access can be challenging. While products like dbExpress have solved many of these problems, what is needed is a data access engine that can deal with the rapidly changing world of IT. Multiple devices, operating systems, and form factors create a plethora of touch points. FireDAC is the ultimate multi-device data access library.