Introduction

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is comprised of four domains. The four domains of EA are illustrated in Figure 1: (1) Business, (2) Data, (3) Application, and (4) Technology. Today’s blog post will focus on EA’s “Data/Information Architecture” domain.

Before exploring the domain, let’s address the slash (“/”) in the room. Is data the same thing as information? Many people and organizations use the terms interchangeably, but according to Haissam Abdul Malak from, TheeCMConsultant.com, there is a difference. Malak says, “Data is raw, unanalyzed, unorganized, unrelated, uninterrupted facts that are used to derive information after analysis. Information, on the other hand, is acquired when data is analyzed, structured, and given composure or context to make it useful.” [2].

One of the most important assets to any organization is data. Data enables organizations to learn about their customers’ needs, determine how products are used, improve decision-making, discover hidden insights, find solutions to problems, back up points made in discussions, and much more! With digital modernization sweeping across most industries, many organizations are aware that data is an asset but knowing what to do with data (data structure, storage, etc.) and how to turn it into usable information remains a challenge for many.

What is Data/Information Architecture?

Many organizations may wonder, “What exactly is the Data/Information Architecture domain?”; frankly – it’s a great question! When researching the topic, several definitions can be found. However, most definitions share a common foundational concept: Data/Information Architecture is the structural organization of data assets within an enterprise [3] [4].

Gartner Inc. defines Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) as “the part of the EA process that describes – through a set of requirements, principles and models — the current state, future state and guidance necessary to flexibly share and exchange information assets to achieve effective enterprise change.” [5].

Through these definitions, an EA practitioner may synthesize that Data/Information Architecture is the understanding of how an organization’s data is structured in its current state, identifying the desired future state, and achieving the future state. It is vital to organizations that data can be standardized and shared with the entire organization to enable practitioners to gain actionable information and insights.

Benefits of Data/Information Architecture

Organizations in the process of defining a Data/Information Architecture, or already possess an architecture, will realize many benefits they may not have seen without the architecture in place. Some examples include:

• Data/Information Architecture provides conceptual, logical, and physical descriptions of data;
• Creates an authoritative source of truth for organizational data. Commonly referred to as a “System of Record” (SOR);
• Provides a way to collect and connect data throughout the organization;
• And allows for a common understanding of data definitions and metadata for the entire organization.

Issues Associated with Data/Information Architecture

Like anything, Data/Information Architecture comes with issues that challenge organizations. The bullet points below are examples of Data/Information Architecture issues:

• Most of the data sharing across applications is a technical success but does not meet the needs of the business.
• High cost of data storage.
• Most IT infrastructures already in place are not capable of scaling to address the high demands for data sharing.

How does Data/Information Architecture Support Other Domains Within EA?

The Data/Information Architecture domain supports the other three EA domains in several ways. Giulio Barcaroli et al. provide a model showing how the Information Architecture domain supports the others; see Figure 2 below.

As shown in Figure 2, all EA domains support each other. The Information Architecture domain is no exception. From providing a framework for Business Architecture to providing Application Architecture with standardized formats to providing Technology Architecture with data structures, and instructions to govern data, the Data/Information Architecture domain is an important domain with much value to offer organizations.

In summary, the Data/Information Architecture domain of EA represents the current/future state of data structure and data systems within an organization. Many benefits can be realized once a data architecture is implemented; however, a few common issues will need to be addressed. The Data/Information Architecture domain supports the other EA domains and is an essential asset to organizations.

References

[1] G. Barcaroli, A. Fasano, P. D. Falorsi and N. Mignolli, Business Architecture model within an official statistical context, Rome, 2014.

[2] H. Abdul Malak, “Data vs information: Whats the difference?,” 26 June 2022. [Online]. Available: https://theecmconsultant.com/data-vs-information/. [Accessed 24 September 2022].

[3] Penn State University, “L03 activities: The enterprise data architecture,” 2022. [Online]. Available: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2213347/assignments/14192445?module_item_id=36154462. [Accessed 25 September 2022].

[4] Btoes Insights, [Online]. Available: https://insights.btoes.com/what-is-enterprise-architecture#:~:text=Data%20architecture%20domain%20%E2%80%93%20describes%20the,and%20continuously%20evolve%20business%20processes.. [Accessed 25 September 2022].

[5] Gartner, Inc., “Gartner Glossary,” [Online]. Available: https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/enterprise-information-architecture#:~:text=Enterprise%20information%20architecture%20(EIA)%20is,to%20achieve%20effective%20enterprise%20change.. [Accessed 25 September 2022].

[6] Harvard University, “Architecture layers,” [Online]. Available: https://enterprisearchitecture.harvard.edu/domains. [Accessed 24 September 2022].

[7] T. Friedman and A. White, Implementing the Data Hub: architecture and technology choices, Gartner Inc., 2018.