Know Your Data Sources

The first step in designing any Data Diagram will be to determine both the type of diagram you are creating (output) but also to specify the Data Sources you will be using. It is important that you consider where your needed data is obtained from, and familiarize yourself with data types, current values, and structure of these data sources. You can follow these steps to assist you with familiarizing yourself with the data sources you will use.

•	For databases, review table structures, sample queries, and previous data outputs to make note of the different fields and what type of data they hold.

•	For XML input sources, open a sample XML file and look for repeating elements, child and parent relationships, and the locations of key attributes.

•	For other data sources such as CSV, TXT, etc..., make sure you open a sample and review the structure for column names, separators and more.

•	Think about if you would like to use this current diagram as a data source for other diagrams moving forward.

By investigating the input fields available to you and the data that is contained within, you will have a head start on designing your Data Diagrams before you even begin to add your Data Sources and Diagram Objects.