data modeling
Data Modeling
The work of deciding how data should be shaped — which tables exist, what columns they hold, how they connect — so the questions people want to ask can actually be answered.
When you'd see it: Anywhere analysts and engineers fight about why a report is hard to build. Good modeling looks invisible — the data just answers the question. Bad modeling shows up as five-join queries that take an hour to write and disagree with each other on every refresh.
Why it matters: Models are the layer between raw data and decisions. Two companies with identical source data can have completely different analytical capabilities depending on how well the data is modeled. Most "we don't trust our data" problems are really modeling problems wearing a costume.
Common mistakes: Treating modeling as a one-time setup. Business changes — new products, new metrics, new questions — and the model has to keep up. Stale models silently make every downstream report a little wrong.
Study this in BizTech Primer →