Design Methodology › Data Definition and Database Design › Advantages of Separating Information

Advantages of Separating Information

Separating information about data from process logic has the following advantages:

• Allows control of data resources — The site has better control over data resources because the control is centralized. Centralized control provides the following benefits:
  • Eliminates unwanted data redundancy
  • Controls the data that is available
  • Determines where data elements are used and by whom
  • Establishes standards for data element names, input and output formats, and editing criteria
• Facilitates the design, development, and maintenance of CA ADS applications — The application can use data from the dictionary and can store application-specific data in the dictionary where it can be maintained. The data can be accessed by a variety of reporting facilities and software components, and can be populated and updated automatically.
• Increases productivity — Productivity is increased because activities are not duplicated. Information about an element type is defined once and does not have to be defined separately by every programmer using that element in a dialog or map.

  The DBA staff can concentrate on defining information for the applications, and the programming staff can concentrate on the processing logic. For example, the dictionary can maintain editing and display information for each element. The DBA can simply define in the dictionary that the external format of social security numbers is 999-99-999, and the application programmers need not be concerned about editing and formatting the element when they use it. On all input operations for this element, the automatic editing facility will verify that user input conforms to this picture; on all output operations, it will format the data and insert hyphens. Defining the elements in this way is easier, less error prone, and less time consuming than coding process logic.