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Data is changing the way the world functions. It can be a study about disease cures, a
company’s revenue strategy, efficient building construction, or those targeted ads on
your social media page; it is all due to data. 

This data refers to information that is machine-readable as opposed to human-readable.

For example, customer data is meaningless to a product team if they do not point to
specific product purchases. Similarly, a marketing team will have no use of that same
data if the IDs didn’t relate to specific price points during buying.

This is where Data Modeling comes in. It is the process that assigns relational rules to
data. A Data Model un-complicates data into useful information that organizations can
then use for decision-making and strategy. According to LinkedIn, it is the fastest-
growing profession in the present job market. Before getting started with what is data
modelling, let’s understand what is a Data Model in detail.

What is a Data Model?

Good data allows organizations to establish baselines, benchmarks, and goals to keep
moving forward. In order for data to allow this measuring, it has to be organized
through data description, data semantics, and consistency constraints of data. A Data
Model is this abstract model that allows the further building of conceptual models and
to set relationships between data items.

An organization may have a huge data repository; however, if there is no standard to

ensure the basic accuracy and interpretability of that data, then it is of no use. A proper
data model certifies actionable downstream results, knowledge of best practices
regarding the data, and the best tools to access it. 

After understanding what is data modelling, let’s discuss its examples.

Also Read: 9 Skills You Need to Become a Data Modeler in 2022

What is Data Modeling?

Data Modeling in software engineering is the process of simplifying the diagram or data
model of a software system by applying certain formal techniques. It involves expressing
data and information through text and symbols. The data model provides the blueprint
for building a new database or reengineering legacy applications.
In the light of the above, it is the first critical step in defining the structure of available
data. Data Modeling is the process of creating data models by which data associations
and constraints are described and eventually coded to reuse. It conceptually represents
data with diagrams, symbols, or text to visualize the interrelation. 

Data Modeling thus helps to increase consistency in naming, rules, semantics, and
security. This, in turn, improves data analytics. The emphasis is on the need for
availability and organization of data, independent of the manner of its application.

Data Modeling Process

Data modeling is a process of creating a conceptual representation of data objects and

their relationships to one another. The process of data modeling typically involves
several steps, including requirements gathering, conceptual design, logical design,
physical design, and implementation. During each step of the process, data modelers
work with stakeholders to understand the data requirements, define the entities and
attributes, establish the relationships between the data objects, and create a model that
accurately represents the data in a way that can be used by application developers,
database administrators, and other stakeholders.

Levels Of Data Abstraction

Data modeling typically involves several levels of abstraction, including:

 Conceptual level: The conceptual level involves defining the high-level entities and
relationships in the data model, often using diagrams or other visual representations.
 Logical level: The logical level involves defining the relationships and constraints
between the data objects in more detail, often using data modeling languages such as
SQL or ER diagrams.
 Physical level: The physical level involves defining the specific details of how the data
will be stored, including data types, indexes, and other technical details.
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Data Modeling Examples

The best way to picture a data model is to think about a building plan of an architect. An
architectural building plan assists in putting up all subsequent conceptual models, and so
does a data model. 

These data modeling examples will clarify how data models and the process of data
modeling highlights essential data and the way to arrange it. 

1. ER (Entity-Relationship) Model

This model is based on the notion of real-world entities and relationships among them. It
creates an entity set, relationship set, general attributes, and constraints.

Here, an entity is a real-world object; for instance, an employee is an entity in an

employee database. An attribute is a property with value, and entity sets share
attributes of identical value. Finally, there is the relationship between entities.

2. Hierarchical Model

This data model arranges the data in the form of a tree with one root, to which other
data is connected. The hierarchy begins with the root and extends like a tree. This model
effectively explains several real-time relationships with a single one-to-many relationship
between two different kinds of data.

For example, one supermarket can have different departments and many aisles. Thus,
the ‘root’ node supermarket will have two ‘child’ nodes of (1) Pantry, (2) Packaged Food.

3. Network Model

This database model enables many-to-many relationships among the connected nodes.

The data is arranged in a graph-like structure, and here ‘child’ nodes can have multiple
‘parent’ nodes. The parent nodes are known as owners, and the child nodes are called
members.

4. Relational Model

This popular data model example arranges the data into tables. The tables have columns
and rows, each cataloging an attribute present in the entity. It makes relationships
between data points easy to identify. 

For example, e-commerce websites can process purchases and track inventory using the
relational model.
5. Object-Oriented Database Model

This data model defines a database as an object collection, or recyclable software

components, with related methods and features.

For instance, architectural and engineering real-time systems used in 3D modeling use
this data modeling process. 

6. Object-Relational Model

This model is a combination of an object-oriented database model and a relational

database model. Therefore, it blends the advanced functionalities of the object-oriented
model with the ease of the relational data model.

The data modeling process helps organizations to become more data-driven. This starts
with cleaning and modeling data. Let us look at how data modeling occurs at different
levels.

These were the important types we discussed in what is data modelling. Next, let’s have
a look at the techniques.

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Benefits Of Data Modeling

Data modeling is a critical process in the development of any software application or

database system. Some of the benefits of data modeling include:

1. Improved understanding of data: Data modeling helps stakeholders to better

understand the structure and relationships of the data, which can help to inform
decisions about how to use and store the data.
2. Improved data quality: Data modeling can help to identify errors and inconsistencies
in the data, which can improve the overall quality of the data and prevent problems
later on.
3. Improved collaboration: Data modeling helps to facilitate communication and
collaboration among stakeholders, which can lead to more effective decision-making
and better outcomes.
4. Increased efficiency: Data modeling can help to streamline the development process
by providing a clear and consistent representation of the data that can be used by
developers, database administrators, and other stakeholders.

Limitations Of Data Modeling

Despite the many benefits of data modeling, there are also some limitations and
challenges to consider. Some of the limitations of data modeling include:

1. Limited flexibility: Data models can be inflexible, making it difficult to adapt to

changing requirements or data structures.
2. Complexity: Data models can be complex and difficult to understand, which can make
it difficult for stakeholders to provide input or collaborate effectively.
3. Time-consuming: Data modeling can be a time-consuming process, especially for large
or complex datasets.

Evolution Of Data Modeling

Data modeling has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting changes in technology,
data management practices, and business requirements. Early data modeling
approaches were often manual and focused on the conceptual level, while more recent
approaches use automated tools and support multiple levels of abstraction. Other
trends in data modeling include the increasing use of data modeling languages and
standards, such as SQL and UML, and the integration of data modeling with other data
management processes, such as data governance and data quality. Overall, the
evolution of data modeling reflects the ongoing importance of effective data
management in today's data-driven business environment.

Types of Data Modeling

There are three main types of data models that organizations use. These are produced
during the course of planning a project in analytics. They range from abstract to discrete
specifications, involve contributions from a distinct subset of stakeholders, and serve
different purposes. 

1. Conceptual Model
It is a visual representation of database concepts and the relationships between them
identifying the high-level user view of data. Rather than the details of the database itself,
it focuses on establishing entities, characteristics of an entity, and relationships between
them. 

2. Logical Model

This model further defines the structure of the data entities and their relationships.
Usually, a logical data model is used for a specific project since the purpose is to develop
a technical map of rules and data structures.

3. Physical Model

This is a schema or framework defining how data is physically stored in a database. It is

used for database-specific modeling where the columns include exact types and
attributes. A physical model designs the internal schema. The purpose is the actual
implementation of the database.

The logical vs. physical data model is characterized by the fact that the logical model
describes the data to a great extent, but it does not take part in implementing the
database, which a physical model does. In other words, the logical data model is the
basis for developing the physical model, which gives an abstraction of the database and
helps to generate the schema.

The conceptual data modeling examples can be found in employee management

systems, simple order management, hotel reservation, etc. These examples show that
this particular data model is used to communicate and define the business requirements
of the database and to present concepts. It is not meant to be technical but simple.

What is Data Modelling? Types (Conceptual, Logical, Physical)

ByDavid TaylorUpdatedApril 8, 2023

What is Data Modelling?

Data modeling (data modelling) is the process of creating a data model for the data to
be stored in a database. This data model is a conceptual representation of Data objects,
the associations between different data objects, and the rules.

Data modeling helps in the visual representation of data and enforces business rules,
regulatory compliances, and government policies on the data. Data Models ensure
consistency in naming conventions, default values, semantics, security while ensuring
quality of the data.
Data Models in DBMS
The Data Model is defined as an abstract model that organizes data description, data
semantics, and consistency constraints of data. The data model emphasizes on what
data is needed and how it should be organized instead of what operations will be
performed on data. Data Model is like an architect’s building plan, which helps to build
conceptual models and set a relationship between data items.
The two types of Data Modeling Techniques are

1. Entity Relationship (E-R) Model

2. UML (Unified Modelling Language)

We will discuss them in detail later.

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This Data Modeling Tutorial is best suited for freshers, beginners as well as experienced
professionals. In this data model tutorial, data modeling concepts in detail-

 Why use Data Model?

 Types of Data Models
 Conceptual Data Model
 Logical Data Model
 Physical Data Model
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Data Model

Why use Data Model?

The primary goal of using data model are:

 Ensures that all data objects required by the database are accurately represented.
Omission of data will lead to creation of faulty reports and produce incorrect
results.
 A data model helps design the database at the conceptual, physical and logical
levels.
 Data Model structure helps to define the relational tables, primary and foreign
keys and stored procedures.
 It provides a clear picture of the base data and can be used by database
developers to create a physical database.
 It is also helpful to identify missing and redundant data.
 Though the initial creation of data model is labor and time consuming, in the long
run, it makes your IT infrastructure upgrade and maintenance cheaper and faster.

Types of Data Models in DBMS

Types of Data Models: There are mainly three different types of data models: conceptual
data models, logical data models, and physical data models, and each one has a specific
purpose. The data models are used to represent the data and how it is stored in the
database and to set the relationship between data items.

1. Conceptual Data Model: This Data Model defines WHAT the system contains. This

model is typically created by Business stakeholders and Data Architects. The
purpose is to organize, scope and define business concepts and rules.
2. Logical Data Model: Defines HOW the system should be implemented regardless
of the DBMS. This model is typically created by Data Architects and Business
Analysts. The purpose is to developed technical map of rules and data structures.
3. Physical Data Model: This Data Model describes HOW the system will be
implemented using a specific DBMS system. This model is typically created by DBA
and developers. The purpose is actual implementation of the database.
 Types of Data Model

Conceptual Data Model

A Conceptual Data Model is an organized view of database concepts and their
relationships. The purpose of creating a conceptual data model is to establish entities,
their attributes, and relationships. In this data modeling level, there is hardly any detail
available on the actual database structure. Business stakeholders and data architects
typically create a conceptual data model.

The 3 basic tenants of Conceptual Data Model are

 Entity: A real-world thing

 Attribute: Characteristics or properties of an entity
 Relationship: Dependency or association between two entities

Data model example:

 Customer and Product are two entities. Customer number and name are attributes
of the Customer entity
 Product name and price are attributes of product entity
 Sale is the relationship between the customer and product
 Conceptual Data Model
Characteristics of a conceptual data model

 Offers Organisation-wide coverage of the business concepts.

 This type of Data Models are designed and developed for a business audience.
 The conceptual model is developed independently of hardware specifications like
data storage capacity, location or software specifications like DBMS vendor and
technology. The focus is to represent data as a user will see it in the “real world.”

Conceptual data models known as Domain models create a common vocabulary for all
stakeholders by establishing basic concepts and scope.

Logical Data Model

The Logical Data Model is used to define the structure of data elements and to set
relationships between them. The logical data model adds further information to the
conceptual data model elements. The advantage of using a Logical data model is to
provide a foundation to form the base for the Physical model. However, the modeling
structure remains generic.

Logical Data Model

At this Data Modeling level, no primary or secondary key is defined. At this Data
modeling level, you need to verify and adjust the connector details that were set earlier
for relationships.
Characteristics of a Logical data model

 Describes data needs for a single project but could integrate with other logical
data models based on the scope of the project.
 Designed and developed independently from the DBMS.
 Data attributes will have datatypes with exact precisions and length.
 Normalization processes to the model is applied typically till 3NF.

Physical Data Model

A Physical Data Model describes a database-specific implementation of the data model.
It offers database abstraction and helps generate the schema. This is because of the
richness of meta-data offered by a Physical Data Model. The physical data model also
helps in visualizing database structure by replicating database column keys, constraints,
indexes, triggers, and other RDBMS features.
 Physical Data Model
Characteristics of a physical data model:

 The physical data model describes data need for a single project or application
though it maybe integrated with other physical data models based on project
scope.
 Data Model contains relationships between tables that which addresses
cardinality and nullability of the relationships.
 Developed for a specific version of a DBMS, location, data storage or technology
to be used in the project.
 Columns should have exact datatypes, lengths assigned and default values.
 Primary and Foreign keys, views, indexes, access profiles, and authorizations, etc.
are defined.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Data Model:

Advantages of Data model:

 The main goal of a designing data model is to make certain that data objects
offered by the functional team are represented accurately.
 The data model should be detailed enough to be used for building the physical
database.
 The information in the data model can be used for defining the relationship
between tables, primary and foreign keys, and stored procedures.
 Data Model helps business to communicate the within and across organizations.
 Data model helps to documents data mappings in ETL process
 Help to recognize correct sources of data to populate the model

Disadvantages of Data model:

 To develop Data model one should know physical data stored characteristics.
 This is a navigational system produces complex application development,
management. Thus, it requires a knowledge of the biographical truth.
 Even smaller change made in structure require modification in the entire
application.
 There is no set data manipulation language in DBMS.

Conclusion
 Data modeling is the process of developing data model for the data to be stored in
a Database.
 Data Models ensure consistency in naming conventions, default values, semantics,
security while ensuring quality of the data.
 Data Model structure helps to define the relational tables, primary and foreign
keys and stored procedures.
 There are three types of conceptual, logical, and physical.
 The main aim of conceptual model is to establish the entities, their attributes, and
their relationships.
 Logical data model defines the structure of the data elements and set the
relationships between them.
 A Physical Data Model describes the database specific implementation of the data
model.
 The main goal of a designing data model is to make certain that data objects
offered by the functional team are represented accurately.
 The biggest drawback is that even smaller change made in structure require
modification in the entire application.
 Reading this Data Modeling tutorial, you will learn from the basic concepts such as
What is Data Model? Introduction to different types of Data Model, advantages,
disadvantages, and data model example.