Product Description

The Professional Services Business Information Model is a comprehensive business data listing of a typical professional services firm.

The Professional Services Business Data Model comprises subject areas and data entities organized into Foundational, Transactional, and Informational data. (You can consider it a data dictionary/data glossary or a business data model.)

The Professional Services Business Information Model is not a full-fledged data model in the conventional data modeling sense as it lacks relationship mapping and all the attributes.

However, it is a well-crafted business data dictionary/glossary organized into logical categories. As each enterprise is different, our business information model artifacts are a starting point for accelerating time to value. It helps business architecture and data teams avoid starting from scratch.

Instead, with a prebuilt and industry-specific business information model, business and data architects can quickly customize it to their unique needs and reduce painstaking whiteboarding sessions.

(Note: As the business information model is a digital deliverable, we do not accept returns or issue refunds. Please read the full product description and our terms before purchasing.)

Professional Services Business Information Model Deliverables:

• Professional Services Sector-specific Business Information (Subject Areas and Data Entities) is categorized into Foundational, Transactional, and Informational entities. Each Data Entity features a short description. (Word format.)
• Bonus: A Handy eBook on Business Information Modeling encompassing creating an information model and leveraging it in enterprise transformation.

Business Information Model Overview

A business information model is a business-friendly encapsulation of an organization’s data and is an essential part of business architecture. Cross-mapping business data with business capabilities, value streams, and systems/applications provides insights into data that powers and realizes the core components of business architecture. As one of the core elements of business architecture, it aids in transformation planning by providing a clear image of the current data structure, facilitating a smoother transition to a new operational state.

Data Categories

Business and data architects classify business data into foundational, transactional, and informational categories. Foundational data outlines primary entities (e.g., customers, employees, products), while transactional data emerge from daily operations like sales or interactions. Informational data, the processed and analyzed form of the former two, provides insights and supports decision-making.

Subject Areas and Data Entities

The business data model further clarifies by defining subject areas and data entities. Subject areas are broad categories grouping related data (e.g., ‘customer data’), whereas data entities are specific data pieces within these areas (e.g., ‘customer name’). Defining these enhances understanding and simplifies data management and transformation planning.

Implications for Business Facets

The business information model offers value for various business aspects. It provides a holistic view of the data landscape from a business architecture perspective, enabling process design, redesign, and capability enablement. Process optimization identifies data flow bottlenecks, redundant processes, and potential automation points. Capability enablement means realizing capabilities through technology, people, process, and data. For transformation planning, it helps design the desired future state, while in data management, it aids in maintaining data integrity and designing databases. In analytics, it forms the basis for deriving meaningful insights.

Comparison with Other Data Models

While a business information model provides an overview of the data structure within an enterprise, other data models like conceptual, logical, physical, hierarchical, network, entity-relationship, and relational models delve into data structure specifics. Our business data model does not claim to be such an in-depth deliverable, or there is no relationship mapping. The business data model focuses on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of data in a business context, laying the groundwork for other models, which focus on the ‘how’ of data storage and manipulation.

A well-designed business information model is a strategic tool supporting business architecture, transformation planning, and decision-making. Organizations can optimize processes, plan transformations, manage data effectively, and derive valuable insights by defining and categorizing data.

The Professional Services Business Information Model deliverable results from the combined efforts of our business and data architects based on several consulting engagements. Please purchase it and customize it to your company’s needs.

Fine Print:

• We sell digital products, so there are no returns, refunds, or replacements. Therefore, please read the product description carefully before making a purchasing decision.
• A generic business information model may or may not fit your needs, or the content relevance will vary substantially.
• They are sold on an as-is basis and without any implied or explicit warranties.
• Consultants and firms wanting to use it for their clients have a different pricing model.
• The sale is for digital products only and does not include customization or implementation help.
• Please review our standard terms of service.