Industry Best Practice Data Model
An extensive, fully configurable and fully customizable Industry Standard Data Models for Electric is delivered with Bentley Electric. The metadata driven model provides the foundation for mapping, design, drawing, facility management, and network modeling. Some organizations choose to implement the model out of the box, while others configure the model to user specific requirements.
Of course, Bentley provides tools to extend and modify the data model. Important components of the data model are the XML Feature Modeling (XFM) definitions, the network model definitions, and the industry specific business rules, such as work requests and life cycle states. Bentley Electric’s network model definitions are compatible with the Oracle Network Model, which relies on Node, Link (edges), and Path tables.
The XFM schema may include:
- Feature definition (Graphic, Properties, Relations)
- Validation (Domain Lists)
- Property Based Symbology
- Property Based Annotation
- Behavior (Placement Commands)
- User Interface (Dialogs, Tool Settings, Menus, Messages, Command Prompts)
- Working environment (Workspaces)
Bentley makes the important distinction between configuration and customization due to the unique skill sets required to configure or customize the solution. Rule configuration requires a domain expert with knowledge about the business rules and workflows of the industry. Rule customization requires programming skills and not necessarily domain knowledge as long as a domain expert provides requirements and specifications.
A domain expert can configure Bentley Electric with the Model Administrator using industry standard tools such as Microsoft Office Excel. Data Model Configuration can include RDBMS or Oracle Spatial Schema specifications, an XFM Schema, and XML and database Business Rules. Feature characteristics include property definitions, property defaults, feature property to RDBMS field mapping, property based symbology, property based annotation, placement methods, edit methods, feature types, and so forth. Domain business rules that govern interactive and non-interactive behaviors of the system and the objects in the system including connectivity rules, attachment rules, parent-child rules, state transition rules, and more.
Bentley is determined to make Bentley Electric as configurable as possible to minimize or eliminate customizations. When customization is required, a programmer customizes the Data Model using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) or other .NET and COM compliant industry standard customization solutions. Bentley APIs include an extensive Event Model that allows a programmer to extend the Data Model beyond configurable capabilities as well as to write custom components outside the Event Model.