
Data models document Data Architecture, aligning core business rules with data definitions. In addition, data models give companies and their customers an inside view of data structures, relationships, and how data flows between different entities, such as tables, applications, or data stores.
Through viewing and working with data models, organizations understand what data systems track, where it goes, and when and how. Also, technical staff and data stakeholders use data modeling to identify data entities, relationships, and architectures that need clarification or redesign to efficiently access and process data. Think of data models as a communication tool to ensure agreement among developers, support staff, and users of a Data Architecture.
A data model may cover the data journey from end to end across an enterprise. However, some data-models span a department, office, or only a few sub-systems. Data models cover processes and systems depending on the business context under discussion between business and technical participants. Most importantly, data models let team members discover, analyze, and represent data assets.