Introduction to the Creation of a Business Ontology
HOPEX Data Architecture offers a solution for managing and sharing the vocabulary specific to your enterprise. This application enables inventory, definition, classification and organization of business concepts to establish a pertinent link with technical objects implemented at the information system level.
At the business level, HOPEX Data Architecture offers business users a tool to describe the concepts they handle and the links that manage their organization. To do this, MEGA is based on widely used semantic Web principles, as well as ontological frameworks such as IDEAS or standard ISO 15926 (high level, life cycle and event type).
At the IS architecture level, HOPEX Data Architecture offers features to establish correspondence between application data, based on UML formalism, and informations described at the business level.
Vocabulary Management Process
The definition of business information requires the creation of a business dictionary and the terms in this dictionary.
A term is the designation of a concept in a given language.
Example: the concept "Country" has the terms "Pays" in French and "Country" in English.
The concept carries the definition of the term. A term can be associated with several concepts, thus several definitions.
Example: the term "Order" can mean "Arrangement of elements in a set" or "Authoritative indication to be obeyed".
So that business users and IS users share a common vocabulary, HOPEX Data Architecture is based on two major functions:
• The analysis and organization of business concepts,
• The relationship setting of business concepts with information system architecture elements.
Analysis and organization of business concepts
This is carried out by a business user. It consists of describing all business concepts, using a simple semantic model based on notions of concept, event and state.
• A concept, representing a business object, is characterized by:
• its scope, ie. its relationships with other concepts
For example, a work is characterized by its author, its title, its publication date, etc.
• its inheritance links with other concepts
For example, a subscription is a book or media subscription.
• its occurrences
For example, Alexandre Dumas is an occurrence of Author.
• A State Concept enables identification of an evolution in time of a concept,
For example, a work is available or on loan.
• An Event represents a significant fact modifying the state of one or several concepts.
For example, publication of a work.
HOPEX Data Architecture offers the standard "Business Data Architect" role to ensure business concept analysis and organization work.
Concept realization
Business concepts are generally implemented in the IS using the UML method and formalism.
The "Concept realization" work consists of connecting the data model elements with business concepts to:
• define more precisely objects handled at IS architecture level,
• assure improved vocabulary sharing and improved global communication between business users and IS users.
HOPEX Data Architecture offers the standard "Data Architect" profile to ensure the "concept realization" work.