Interaction Analysis

• Which entity type(s) does each activity take action on?
• Which activity(ies) uses/takes action on each entity type?

• checking completeness of the activity model
• checking completeness of the entity relationship diagram, thus, identifying missing entity types (and/or subtypes)
• checking consistency between the two models; making sure that correct names are being used and referenced

• To determine the interactions (create, read, update or delete) between activities and entity types.
• To confirm the completeness and consistency of the activity model and entity relationship diagram.

1. Review the entity type definitions.
2. Identify the information required to perform each activity.
3. Identify and document the entity actions (create, read, update, delete) for all activities.
4. Perform an affinity analysis to look at interactions to suggest clusters of data and activities for further analysis.

To begin the analysis, review the entity type definitions to get a feel for the information being modeled.

For each activity, think about the main pieces of information the activity needs to operate properly. In other words, what entity types does this activity create, update, delete, or read.

Identify and document each of the entity actions for all remaining activities. If you get stuck, check the details of the activity profile, review the activity flow, and/or check the entity relationship diagram for clues.

The analysis is completed by performing an affinity analysis which looks at all interactions identified and suggests clusters of data and activities which should be analyzed together. (See the figure below for an example displaying the entity type/activity interaction.) The results of this analysis helps identify and plan for business applications systems and databases (The Business System Architecture).

Example