Extended Data Dictionary Approach and Benefits

An extended data dictionary can provide business requirements analysts with the ability to catalog and use many more attributes and metadata than an standard data dictionary.

Introduction

One of the key goals of business analysis is to obtain complete solution requirements. Among the solution requirements, possibly the largest share falls to user interface requirements, since most applications have significant user interface components.

Wireframes have been used for several decades to get better user interface requirements. This article examines how requirements engineers can leverage an extended data dictionary with wireframes to discover almost all user interface requirements, with significant benefits for this approach.

The extended data dictionary goes beyond the regular or the standard data dictionary used by business analysts. The extended data dictionary has 400% more metadata attributes, compared to the standard data dictionary which usually has 5 or 6 attributes.

Standard data dictionary

Standard definitions of primitive data elements, their meanings, allowable values, how those elements combine into composite data elements. Used to manage data within a solution’s context, often used along with ER diagrams.

Primitive data elements

Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JAE1AIa2xTzu9sm9cZuvc9X7P9ax2L12G9QH3Fqrgyw/edit?usp=sharing

Composite data elements

Composite data is assembled from primitive data elements, e.g. an intelligent ID to describe items.

Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n9B2TyaXkyM0YY2SgnRoRZLKfIi0kNv9NUSaeB47xmA/edit?usp=sharing

Strengths of Standard Data Dictionary

·         Ensures stakeholders agreement on format and content of relevant information.

·         Ensures consistent usage of data elements.

·         Serves as basis for creation and maintenance of a managed metadata environment, including business data elements and their definitions.

Limitations of Standard Data Dictionary

·         Becomes obsolete unless maintained; assignment of maintenance often a point of contention between IT and business areas.

·         Needs regular maintenance to ensure quick and easy retrieval.

·         Provides only a small set of metadata information that the developers and business analysts need.

Extended Data Dictionary

The extended data dictionary has the following metadata attributes in addition to standard data dictionary metadata attributes:

1. Format (Any specific format expected for the UI element)
2. Minimum Value (Allowable minimum value).
3. Maximum Value (Allowable maximum value).
4. Editable (Then whether it is editable or not and up to what development stage element can be edited).
5. Horizontal alignment of the UI element
6. Validations / Business rules applicable to a field.
7. Desired order for lookup
8. Default value for the UI element
9. Seeded values for look ups (more detailed than domain values found in standard data dictionary)
10. Likely growth of the look up
11. Recommended next cursor control movement
12. Value of the current UI element is dependent on another field.
13. Any specific behavior to be exhibited by the UI element.

Example of an Extended Data Dictionary

This is an extended data dictionary using a simple prototype of a task tracking user interface link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ucOz0NsLnbeWLaA_7Ep5_IEBLUb8g9kH2m1YGpJgD5Q/edit?usp=sharing

 Explanations and examples of the extended data dictionary developed for the sample UI: 

Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VkLflDxeCQEaPa2ndRpfc56F5Pa5mIc9EmPGZgw1OrE/edit?usp=sharing

Conclusion

An extended data dictionary can be a simple yet powerful technique to develop UI intensive applications. It is also extensible for specific domain needs. By capturing additional metadata in a commonly used document, all business analysts can realize significant improvement in their requirements discovery and management.

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Created on Sep 12th 2018 04:28. Viewed 254 times.

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