Competencies: Data Engineering > Data Modeling
Data Modeling
Body of Knowledge
| Topic | Description | Relevance | Career Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
JSON Schema |
Schema definition for JSON data validation including type constraints, references ($ref), composition (allOf, anyOf, oneOf), and integration with OpenAPI specifications for API documentation. |
Medium |
Backend Engineer, API Developer, Data Engineer |
Conceptual Data Modeling |
Domain modeling techniques including entity-relationship design, taxonomy construction, classification hierarchies, and knowledge representation patterns. |
High |
Data Architect, Backend Engineer, Knowledge Engineer |
Relational Data Modeling |
Entity-relationship diagrams, normalization forms (1NF-5NF), denormalization trade-offs |
Critical |
Data Engineer, DBA, Software Architect |
Dimensional Modeling |
Star schema, snowflake schema, fact tables, dimension tables, slowly changing dimensions |
High |
Data Engineer, Analytics Engineer |
Graph Data Modeling |
Property graphs, RDF, knowledge graphs, relationship modeling, traversal patterns |
Medium |
Data Engineer, Knowledge Engineer |
Document Data Modeling |
NoSQL document design, embedding vs referencing, denormalization patterns |
High |
Backend Developer, Data Engineer |
Time-Series Modeling |
Time-series schemas, bucketing, downsampling, retention policies |
Medium |
Data Engineer, SRE |
Schema Evolution |
Forward/backward compatibility, schema versioning, migration strategies |
High |
Data Engineer, Backend Developer |
Data Contracts |
Schema definitions, API contracts, producer-consumer agreements, breaking changes |
High |
Data Engineer, Software Architect |
Personal Status
| Topic | Level | Evidence | Active Projects | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
JSON Schema |
Intermediate |
Pydantic models generate JSON schemas; OpenAPI schema from FastAPI; understand $ref, allOf, anyOf, type constraints |
No JSON Schema validation in pipelines, no custom schema authoring for data contracts |
|
Conceptual Data Modeling |
Intermediate |
association-engine — node/edge graph model with typed relationships; domus-api — content category models with Pydantic; Aristotelian taxonomy for knowledge organization |
No relational data modeling, no ER diagrams, no normalization forms |