ABSTRACT
In the scope of Data Management (DM) within the pre-physical design phase of computer systems development, the most important techniques available relate to the description of data. These techniques provide the framework for all DM tasks and procedures. It is very important to note that all DM activities can encompass both data descriptions and data instances. As the scope of responsibility for DM cuts across business and organisational as well as systems and machine boundaries techniques to overcome these limitations need to be developed. The most frequently used levels of data descriptions modelled by DM refer to “data”. An essential aspect of a DM function is often to scope the actual data modelling environment of the organisation. Object relates to high level, abstract “things” of interest to DM, whilst the term “entity” is reserved for “things” of interest to business users against which data items/facts require to be recorded.
