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Data Ownership in Legacy Systems - Building a F...

Data Ownership in Legacy Systems - Building a Foundation for Data_Mesh

Data analysis and reporting have traditionally operated using tailor-made data models after the operational data has been extracted and transformed. Behind it we find that the application development uses a data model which is much less suited for data analysis and reporting. One of the main reasons for this mismatch is the approach denoted as functional decomposition, where the system is designed based on functions as described in requirements, use-cases, product backlogs etc. Moreover, this approach is the one that most application developers take as a default choice.

What if there is another way to do the application design that explicitly allows the data to play a much more prominent role in system decomposition? What if this alternative approach can bridge the gap between application development and data analysis and reporting?

Join and explore an alternative to complex system design that emphasizes data ownership with foundation in business capabilities, which presents a very different opportunity for rich data analysis and reporting. The talk is based on real-world cases from the domains for healthcare and insurance.

Mufrid Krilic

November 23, 2023
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  1. Data Ownership in Legacy Systems Building a Foundation for Data

    Mesh Software Craftspeople India Community, Online 2023-11-22 Mufrid Krilic, Domain-Driven Design Coach CoWork, Norway
  2. About myself…. • Developer, architect, agile and technical coach •

    Healthcare, Telecom, Insurance • “Domain-Driven Design enthusiast” Crafting Your Digital Confidence
  3. CoWork - something to inspire you • Trust-Based Leadership in

    Practice Tight-Loose-Tight - TLT Crafting Your Digital Confidence
  4. Takeaways after the session • Different perspectives between application development

    and data analysis • Understanding needs for business insights with Domain Storytelling • Establishing data ownership with Domain-Driven Design
  5. The problem we are solving • Being data-driven is a

    mandatory in modern business • However …. • Data management at scale is highly complex area with socio- technical implications
  6. Different perspectives • Application Development • Data Analysis • Operational

    data • Transaction based and state-aware • Analytical data • Aggregated business events to provide future insight or retrospect
  7. Organizational Legacy • Common to find a team for data

    analysis and reporting • Separate from application development • Based on a real needs for different data model for analytical data • Data model for operational data is usually not adequate
  8. Four Principles 1. Domain-oriented data ownership 2. Data as a

    product 3. Self-served data platform 4. Federated Computational Governance
  9. Domain-oriented? • Data ownership closely aligned with the data source

    • Multiple autonomous yet integrated models
  10. How to Reduce the Gap? • Reducing the gap between

    the operational and analytical data addresses complexity with socio- technical approach • Combined with decentralization to address scaling • Can we take a different approach? • Modelling of application data
  11. Strategic DDD • Focusing on Core domain • Problem and

    solution space • Subdomains and Bounded Contexts • Linguistic boundaries • Ubiquitous Language • The two pillars of DDD
  12. Core Domain • The thing that distinguishes you from the

    competitors • “Not every part of the system will be well-designed” • Generic subdomain • Supporting subdomain
  13. Problem Space and Solution Space Problem space • Domain analysis

    to discover inherent Subdomains Solution space • Domain modeling to discover corresponding Bounded Contexts • Hard to find 1:1 mapping though
  14. The Two Pillars of DDD 1. Ubiquitous Language 2. Bounded

    Context Bounded contexts in your application are defined by linguistic boundaries
  15. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Build software in a way that domain

    experts would have built it themselves • Discovery process where everyone, including domain experts, learn and understand more about the domain
  16. Strategic DDD • Focusing on Core domain • Problem and

    solution space • Subdomains and Bounded Contexts • Linguistic boundaries • Ubiquitous Language • The two pillars of DDD
  17. ▪ For patients with identical diagnoses sometimes the treatment has

    the best effect when done in a group of patients ▪ Examples from different subdomain in healthcare: • Conversation therapy groups in psychiatry • Training sessions post-injury Domain: Group Treatment
  18. ▪ Setting up a group • Planning ▪ Conducting group

    appointments • Check-in process Group Treatment Use Cases
  19. Functional Decomposition • Boundaries in the system follow the function

    that a user needs to do hers/his job • Classic approach • Subdomain = Function
  20. Data Ownership in Domain Model – Functional Decomposition • One

    single “Group” for different functions • Physician and specialists • Patients • Appointments • Location/Venue • Patient attendance, including no-show • Patients exempted from payment • Invoice – preferred method • Diagnosis-based patient fee • Reference to § in law for compulsory interventions in psychiatry
  21. Role-based decomposition • Boundaries in the system based on which

    roles perform different functions • Leads to more task-oriented model • Subdomain = Role based function
  22. Data Ownership in Domain Model – role-based decomposition “Group” planning

    context • Specialists • Patients • Appointments • Location • Reference to § in law for psychiatry “Group” check-in context • Patient attendance incl. no-show • Cancelled appointments • Patients exempted from payment • Invoice – preferred method • Diagnosis-based patient fee
  23. Time- and role-based decomposition • Boundaries in the system based

    on which roles perform different function at different times • Supports context-oriented systems • Subdomain = Role-based function in a user context
  24. Data Ownership in Domain Model – time- and role-based decomposition

    “Group” planning context • Specialists • Patients • Appointments • Location • Reference to § in law for psychiatry “Group” check-in context • Patients exempted from payment • Invoice preferred method • Diagnosis-based patient fee “Group” billing context • Patient attendance, incl. no-show • Cancelled appointments
  25. Aligned with the Business? The first principle of Data Mesh

    “Domain-oriented decentralized data ownership and architecture”
  26. The Business and the Legacy System • The more complex

    the legacy system…. • ….and the longer the system is in production • ….the more likely that the domain language will be affected …. by the language of the legacy system!
  27. Distilling the Domain with Pure Domain Stories • Capturing the

    very essence of the business processes Questions to ask: • How would you do your work without the software system? • What are you trying to achieve? • Why are you doing this?
  28. Departments •Accident and Emergency Department •Anaesthesia and Surgical Services •Cancer

    Treatment and Medical Physics •Children and Youth Clinic •Clinical Nutrition •Communication •Department of Occupational Therapy •Dermatology •Emergency Clinic •Emergency Department Short Stay Unit •Finance •Haukeland hotel •Heart Disease •Human Resources •Internal Medicine •International Collaboration •Laboratory Medicine and Pathology •Maternity Ward •Medical Biochemistry and Pharmacology MBF •Medical Genetics •Neurology •Neurosurgery •Occupational Medicine •Occupational Outpatient Clinic •Ophthalmology •Oral Surgery •Orthopedic Clinic •Physiotherapy •Psychiatry •Radiology department •Recruitment and Temporary Staffing Office •Regional Centre for Asthma, Allergy and Other Hypersensitivity illnesses in Western Norway •Research and Development •Rheumatology •Secretariat for hospital management •Surgical Clinic •The Cancer Center for Education and rehabilitation- CCER •The Norwegian Arthritis Registry - NorArthritis •The Norwegian Porphyria Centre NAPOS •Thoracic Medicine •Treatment abroad •Tuberculosis clinic •Women's Clinic
  29. Decompositions by business capabilities • Boundaries in the system follow

    the capabilities that the business offers its’ customers • Subdomain = Business Capability • Subdomain ≠ Function • Foundation for the product architecture
  30. Data Ownership – Decomposition by Business Capabilities “Group” – psychiatry

    capability • Psychologist • Psychiatrist • Diagnosis • Reference to § in law • Patients • Appointments • Location for appointment outside hospital premises “Group” – medical clinical services • Physician • Diagnosis • Patients • Appointments
  31. Business capabilities in other domains Insurance - Centered on products

    or capabilities • House • Car • Life Instead of functions • Such as policy, coverage
  32. Product architecture • There are some product related decisions to

    be made. • Which users are we tailoring our products for? • What is the cost of customizing the product for diverse user groups? • What is the cost of developing separate products for separate user groups?
  33. About Functional Decomposition • Customer/end-user needs are hidden behind functions!

    • No incentives to decompose • Pull towards canonical domain model • One of the main reasons behind the gap between operational data model and needs for data-insight aligned model
  34. Data-Driven • Consider modeling around Business Capabilities to unlock the

    real Business Needs • Reducing the gap between operational and analytical data needed for business insights
  35. Language as a tool • The same domain term in

    different subdomains is defined with different or possibly overlapping set of data properties • Use domain language to find appropriate level for decomposition
  36. Takeaways ▪ Respect and align different needs for application development

    and data analysis – Data Mesh ▪ Different approaches to modeling in application development to get closer to the real business needs – Avoid functional decomposition ▪ Establish data ownership with Domain-Driven Design Ella Fitzegerald – «They Cant’t Take That Away From Me»
  37. Images • https://unsplash.com/@x_vinicius • https://unsplash.com/@mpho_mojapelo • https://unsplash.com/@fazurrehman • https://unsplash.com/@freegraphictoday •

    https://unsplash.com/@dancristianp • https://unsplash.com/@patrickperkins • https://unsplash.com/@nadineshaabana • https://unsplash.com/@chuttersnap • https://unsplash.com/@ceebeesnap • https://unsplash.com/@renemolenkamp • https://unsplash.com/@rosiekerr • https://unsplash.com/@janilson123 • https://unsplash.com/@profwicks • Bing AI