Theoretical foundations for conceptual modelling in information systems development

  • Authors:

  • Yair Wand;David E. Monarchi;Jeffrey Parsons;Carson C. Woo

  • Affiliations:

  • Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z2, Canada;University of Colorado, Campus Box 419, Boulder, CO 80309-0419, USA;Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X5, Canada;Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z2, Canada

  • Venue:
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Year:
  • 1995

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.01

Visualization

Abstract

Conceptual modelling in information systems development is the creation of an enterprise model for the purpose of designing the information system. It is an important aspect of systems analysis. The value of a conceptual modelling language (CML) lies in its ability to capture the relevant knowledge about a domain. To determine which constructs should be included in a CML it would be beneficial to use some theoretical guidelines. However, this is usually not done. The purpose of this paper is to promote the idea that theories related to human knowledge can be used as foundations for conceptual modelling in systems development. We suggest the use of ontology, concept theory, and speech act theory. These approaches were chosen because: (1) they deal with important and different aspects relevant to conceptual modelling and (2) they have already been used in the context of systems analysis. For each approach we discuss: the rationale for its use, its principles, its application to conceptual modelling, and its limitations. We also demonstrate the concepts of the three approaches by analysing an example. The analysis also serves to show how each approach deals with different aspects of modelling.