Repository which contains the expression of the core business knowledge of an enterprise
Introduction to the notion
The semantic or business repository stores the descriptions of an organization’s perception of reality.
The repository progressively builds up a complete and detailed description of reality, which is then leveraged by the different projects. It describes the core enterprise know-how.
It accumulates and coordinates the semantic models, each designed to meet the needs of successive projects. The repository is a key tool in IT policy, enabling a clear dividing line to be drawn between the part of the reality covered by urbanization and the part not.
The semantic repository describes, in theory, the whole Enterprise System. The information system and IT system can only translate part of it. As an example, semantics are attached to market segments, products and services combined. Excluded from the semantic model are the contingent choices: organizational choices, practical details of implementation and, of course, IT solutions…
Model depth
At the beginning, the semantic repository shows, above all, the decomposition in object domains. It identifies the principal objects and situates them within the overall set. It then gives a definition and a description to the root classes. It is enriched, over time, by project contributions, to provide a complete description of the semantics. This description comprises all the details, including operations and constraints.
