Overview
In order to control and track information that is critical to an organization it has to be filed and structured in a way that is compatible with how that organization uses and processes the information.
The process of establishing how the information is organized and related is called information modeling. With eB, organizations can quickly and easily model their information consistently and accruately throughout the enterprise to help meet compliance requirements.

Modeling the enterprise
The process for modeling enterprise information involves the following steps.

• Identify the critical core information (documents, assets, people, processes, etc.).
• Identify information interdependencies (That is, how are these pieces of core information realted to each other?).
• Classify the information in structured ways to make sure it is consistently described.
• Determine the permission model for controlling change and access.
• Define any automation around how the infomration is processed.

Elements of the Enterprise
eB offers predefined, ready-to-use information objects whose data and behavior characterisitics are based on the best practices learned and proven by Enterprise Informatics customers. (See sidebar.)

Flexibility
Enterprise information also consists of more complex information, like that found in business processes, project definitions, and requirement definitions. These are easily defined and created in eB using a unique feature called virtual items.

In conjunction with core objects, virtual items make it possible to create practically any information model within eB without programming or customization. Not only can information such as a concept be modeled - for instance, “management responsibility” - but its definition can be controlled and tracked with revision control. This makes it possible to control and track changes not only of the information itself, but of the definition of the information as well.

Shape of Data
Classification is a powerful information modeling tool and is a core feature of the eB system. Objects in eB can be classified based on an organization’s specific information needs.

Classification of an object is hierarchical according to classes and subclasses. The class of an object determines what attributes or characteristics the object will have. An object’s class can also control how the information of the object will be displayed. Each object class can have one or more templates that specify default values and behavior. Only users with the proper permissions can use a specific template.

Defining and setting up classes in eB is easy becasue of its intuitive Windows UI. Enterprise Informatics consultants work with our customer to share best practice classification schemes already proven in production environments.

Relevance
It is useful and necessary to properly identify and track individual information objects, but in order to determine the information’s relevance the relationships between individual information objects must be known.

The ability to establish information “relatedness” is one of the cornerstones of the eB information architecture. In eB, it is easy to see who is responsible for information, what the information describes, and what other information must be considered if a change is needed. The ability to determine the impact of change is key to ensuring the integrity of the information in the enterprise and ultimately meeting compliance requirements.

Relationships can be static or dynamic. A static relationship does not consider the impact that time will have on the life of a relationship. Sometimes this is all that is necessary as in the case of a Project and a Document. Projects, by definition have a defined lifetime and therefore the relationships between projects and documents do not have to describe this any further. eB handles static relationships.

But in a dynamic relationship, such as that between an Organization and a Physical Object, like plant equipment, it becomes obvious that from the perspective of either the organization or the physical object, the relationship between them may change over time. Take for example equipment that is transferred from one organization to another: there are two pieces of information that need to be managed for this case—change of ownership and the history of this change. eB handles this with relationship objects. These relationship objects can be classified and have definable attributes and permissions.

BEST PRACTICE BEHAVIOR OF COMMON OBJECTS
Two very common information objects found in enterprises are documents and items. Documents represent any piece of information that describes something like specifications, contracts, or communications. Items represent actual physical things like assets, equipment, or components. Because documents and items are so common, these objects have been implemented in eB with industry-proven best-practice behavior. State of change, change control, and supplemental features that any organization should be interested in are available out of the box.

INFORMATION STRUCTURE
Information is easily modeled in eB. It is also accessible through easy-to-use, powerful, and configurable information access features.

Folders
Most computer users are comfortable with the concept of a folder to organize files on a PC. eB provides a folder capability that acts in a similar manner but with one important difference: objects in eB can be in as many folders as desired. This simple-to-use feature makes it possible to construct multiple views of an enterprise’s information, each tailored for a specific use or user(s).

Search Folders
Search folders can be included in a folder hierarchy to provide automatic filing. Search folders look and act like normal folders, but instead of explicitly associating objects with these folders, objects appear in these folders when they meet a predefined criteria. Therefore, a folder named “Documents Approved Today” can be defined to update dynamically based on date and state of change. Other common uses would be to organize objects by project, department, or discipline.

Permission Masking
Users can see only what they are permitted to see. eB’s permission model enables security definition down to a single attribute of a single object if the information model requires it. This feature can be used to secure data as well as just mask data from users who don’t necessarily want to see it. Since permissions can be assigned to folders, it is easy to define an eB system where different groups of users are presented with different folder trees.

PHASED APPROACH
All of the modeling and information organization in eB—from classification to permissions to folder hierarchies—is defined in the eB database through eB user UI—not through any special coding. This means that the information model can be changed, optimized, and expanded as the system is used.
While Enterprise Informatics consultants will help in creating the best system possible, should requirements change, eB can easily accommodate the change. You are never stuck, or required to wait, to take advantage of what you do know before you know “everything”.

SUMMARY
Enterprise Informatics offers a commercial information management solution that ensures the integrity of controlled information by uniquely managing its connectivity to all other relevant information. By building bridges between documents, records, assets, people, processes and projects, our solutions create an ecosystem for the rapid access of accurate information in context.
With eB, our Enterprise Information Management (EIM) solution, organizations reduce the cost of meeting compliance requirements, minimize business risk, improve decision-making, and optimize process efficiency.