Fig. 8.1.8 The logical linkage of data.In the very earliest days, data were logically organized in almost a random fashion. Every
programmer and every designer “did his/her own thing.” To say that the world was in
chaos when it came to logical organization of data was an understatement.
Into this world of chaos came Ed Yourdon and Tom DeMarco. Yourdon espoused a
concept called the “structured” approach. (NOTE that the term of “structured” as used
by Yourdon is quite different; then, the same term is used in describing the internal
formatting of data. When Yourdon used the term “structured,” he was referring to a
logical and organized way of arranging information systems. Yourdon was referring to
programming practices, design of systems, and many other aspects of information
systems. The term “structured” is also used in describing the internal formatting of data.
Even though the terms that are used are the same, they mean something quite different.)
In Yourdon's approach to structured systems, one of the aspects of structured was in
reference to how data elements should be logically organized in order to create a
disciplined system approach for the building of information systems. Prior to Yourdon,
there were many schemes for the logical organization of data.
Chapter 8.1: A Brief History of Data Architecture