Overview - UDM
An overview of the Universal Data Model
Definition
The universal data mode (UDM) is an approach to data modeling that combines tables when they have many or most fields in common. A popular use is the Party Model. This combines Person table with a Company table, since many of the fields are duplicated between the two.
Source
While several people have written about the Universal Data Model, the implementation in Trayse Inventory is primarily influenced by the book, The Data Model Resource Book, Revised Edition, Volume 1 by Len Silverston.
Implementation
Trayse Inventory does not use the Party Model, but it does combine the following tables:
COMPANY
Customers
Vendors
ORDER
Purchase Orders
Estimate Orders
Sales Orders
Invoice Orders
Return Orders
Transfer Orders
ORDER LINE
Line items for the order tables listed above.
See the knowledge base Trayse Software Naming Conventions for a description of object name conventions.
Implications
While using the Universal Data Model helps reduce duplicity in the database structure, there are implications. These are clarified in the Companies and Orders pages.
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