Essential Strategies, Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in helping companies use information architecture to enable them to take advantage of the latest technologies, plan their information systems, analyze requirements, and make systems a reality. Essential Strategies, Inc. is expert at producing data models (object models) and process models as part of strategic planning, requirements planning, and data warehouse projects.





What's New? New Look! Essential Strategies, Inc.'s web site was originally set up in 1995, a pioneer in the use of the World-wide web to disseminate information--particularly information about methods,data management, and modeling. In recent years, however, the site has been criticized for looking "so 1990s!" Unfortunately, while it is not that difficult to create a web site using HTML, adding animation and interaction (a la "Web 2.0") is much harder. The primary appeal of the site, though, has remained Dave Hay's articles, with several hits a week from all over the world. So, as part of an effort to join the modern world, and, thanks to Fred Wild of Advantage Software Technologies, Inc., the web site has been updated. In addition to a new look on this page, the section on publications has been completely re-vamped. To see any of the articles, it will be necessary to sign in, but the site will remember your doing so, so that you won't have to do it again. Moreover, you will be able to comment on each article you read, either in response to the article, or in response to what someone else said about it. (Your e-mail address will never be shared with anyone.) So, welcome to the Essential Strategies, Inc. web site. May it be of value to you. Dave Hay New Book! David Hay's new book describes his version of a metadata schema. This conceptual enterprise data model of the Information Technology Industry can of course be used as the basis for designing a metadata repository, but it is also useful for the insights it provides on some of the subtler aspects of the industry. It is organized around Mr. Hay's version of the Zachman Architecture Framework, covering all six columns of the business owner's, architect's, and designer's perspectives, plus four columns of the functioning system perspective.