Getting Started with InfoSphere Data Architect

Chapter 9 – Analyzing Data Models 159
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Chapter 9 – Analyzing Data Models
IBM InfoSphere Data Architect is a free-form modeling tool, which means you can create a model that
suits the needs of the business, and the workbench will not restrict the design of the model in any way.
When you design a model, however, you could possibly unintentionally create a model that violates the
logical or physical data modeling rules or constraints which could introduce errors or do not conform to
common data design best practices.
To help you identify issues with the model, use the Analyze Model wizard. In this chapter, you will learn
the following concepts:
• How to analyze the data model
• How to change the preferences to influence how models are analyzed
• How to address errors and warnings after the model is analyzed
9.1 Analyzing data models: The big picture
You analyze a data model after you create it. The Analyze Model wizard validates the model in two major
ways:
1. Design Suggestions: These are best practice suggestions or design constraints that are put in
place by the architects so that the model follows a standard.
2. Syntax Checks: Syntax checks are validations validate the syntax of attributes and also checks if
the valid relations are created between entities or tables.
Ideally, you analyze data models before you transform or deploy them. This ensures that you are not
transforming or deploying invalid models, and you can determine what problems exist (if any) before
these models go into production and cause potential issues.
9.2 Analyzing data models with the workbench
9.2.1 Analyzing logical data models with the workbench
You can only analyze logical data models from the package node. Let's analyze the
STUDENT_INFO_SYSTEM.ldm logical data model to ensure that it is valid.
To analyze a logical data model: