Different Levels of Data Modeling

From 20 years of Data Modeling I learned that that before we choose between Inmon and Kimball, but today, there are so many layers, levels, and approaches.

Did you find a good way of separating or naming the different “levels” (still unsure about levels) to clarify what is meant? Below is a list of what I think so far:

• Generation or source database design
• Data integration
• ETL processes
• Data warehouse schema creation or Data lake structuring
• BI tool presentation layer design
• Machine learning or AI feature engineering

It’s basically following the Data Engineering Lifecycle. On top of it, there are Data Modeling Approaches and Data Modeling Techniques.

Read more in Data Modeling or my Blog about data modeling.

Origin: Data Modeling
References: Levels of Data Modeling - by Joe Reis
Created 2025-04-25