Foundation Data Model (FDM)
FDM: The design of the data model used across human capital management, payroll, supply chain and financials to establish the foundation for Workday@Clemson transaction processing and reporting. At Clemson, more than 200 team members participated in the design of our new FDM.
The FDM provides the foundation for three key functions in Workday@Clemson: Reporting, Security and Business Processes. The FDM will replace the complex 23-digit account string currently used in PeopleSoft. The overarching design of the new Foundation Data Model will allow personnel to answer important business questions easily and efficiently.
The FDM Working Group spent long hours developing this crucial component of the Workday@Clemson solution. Approximately 250 Clemson stakeholders engaged in the development of the FDM blueprint, and a total of 49 discovery sessions helped solidify understanding of the current state across 19 functional areas at Clemson.
FDM Design Principles
- Single definition per dimension; each dimension should have a clear definition, purpose and usage.
- Minimize duplication where possible.
- Define the lowest level of granularity required and leverage hierarchies where possible for reporting rollups.
- Use consistent naming conventions when assigning IDs and descriptions.
- Design with the end-user experience in mind.
- Configure validation logic to enforce consistency and valid combinations.
- Keep maintenance requirements in mind.
- Establish good governance up front.
FDM Design Approach
Initial Activities
FDM Kickoff
Stakeholders:
FDM Contributors
FDM Working Group
Project Workstream Leads
Current State Analysis
Stakeholders:
FDM Working Group
FDM Contributors
FDM Super Users
Project Workstreams
User Group Leads
FDM Education
Stakeholders:
FDM Working Group
Executive Sponsors
University Leadership
Program Team
User Groups
Iterative Design and Continuous Refinement
Preliminary Blueprint
Development of the initial structure of the FDM to provide a basic framework for further development. Stakeholders: FDM Working Group
Mapping
The iterative process of reviewing how Clemson expects the current Chart of Accounts (COA) will map to the future-state FDM. Stakeholders: FDM Working Group Select FDM Contributors
Socialization and Feedback
FDM Blueprint and mapping efforts are shared with broader stakeholder groups to gather feedback for refinement and enhancement. Stakeholders: FDM Working Group FDM Contributors
Foundation Tenant
FDM Blueprint is leveraged to configure the initial Workday tenant to serve as the basis for all subsequent configuration and development. Stakeholders: FDM Leads
