DDA METHODOLOGY

Domain-Driven Design Forms Foundation of Domain-Driven Analytics

PatternBuilders Analytic Framework (PAF) is based on the Domain-Driven Analytics (DDA) methodology and provides both a programming and conceptual model for the development of advanced analytic solutions. DDA is PatternBuilders’ unique extension to the concept of Domain-Driven Design (DDD), a software development movement that has become increasingly influential.

Domain-Driven Design is based on two premises—that complex applications should be based on a model that reflects the problem being solved (as it is conceptualized) and uses the vocabulary of the end user (the domain) as opposed to the particular technology used to implement the project. PatternBuilders’ DDA methodology extends this user-centric model to complex analytic application development.

An analytics application developed with DDA and by extension, PAF, allows developers and end users to immediately apply the knowledge they developed using or building their current transaction focused systems. They no longer have to deal with “cubes or relations” that force an artificial and often inefficient relational model of rows and columns on what are usually hierarchical problems. This approach not only improves performance of the application itself, but is much easier to maintain and extend. And since the application is based on the end users inherent industry-specific understanding (the domain), it is easier to use. As a result, developers and end users—working together in their areas of expertise—produce a more efficient and effective application.

About the DDA Methodology

Traditionally, one of two approaches has been used to create an analytic application:  build (from scratch using a statistics library) or integrate (with a traditional Data Warehouse or BI solution). Neither model was sufficient to meet the challenges of modern analytic application development. The DDA methodology is a new, next-generation approach that satisfies these challenges while offering developers a productive and cost-effective development and deployment environment.

How DDA Works

With DDA, the business end user’s conceptual model drives the resulting analytic solution. This is similar to object models or XSD, where the application reflects both the developers’ and end users’ requirements in terms of the domain being addressed, as well as what is needed to deal with typical enterprise software development issues, such as security, persistence, performance, etc. DDA ensures that an analytic solution reflects the domain-specific analytic requirements—creating a productive environment for developers and a seamless experience for end users.