The P7 Viewpoint is one of the architectural products closest to actual system design in the NAF. It is used to describe how the information represented in the L7 Logical Data Model Viewpoint is implemented.
While the mapping between the logical and physical data models is relatively straightforward, the relationship between the components of each model (e.g. entity types in the logical model versus relational tables in the physical model) is frequently one-to-many or many-to-many.
Usage
The intended usage of the P7 includes:
- Specifying the data elements exchanged between systems (thus reducing the risk of interoperability errors).
- Definition of physical data structure (input to system design).
Creating a Physical Data Model diagram
To create a Physical Data Model diagram:
- Click on Physical Data Model in the Action Artifact area, and then select Create New Diagram.
- Type the diagram name and press Enter.
- A blank diagram is created and you can start constructing the view. You can create DataElements and connect them with Associations using the tools under the diagram toolbar.
