Designing a Method Network (Hierarchy)
The concept of developing a method network or
hierarchy can be compared to planning a hierarchy of user defined
data types. The principle is essentially the same, except that the
focus of the hierarchy is on the various levels of process
functionality rather than data types. However, remember that while
methods may be mapped as a hierarchy, in reality they have a
many-to-many relationship to other methods, and a method may have
many sub-methods, while at the same time participating as a method
in many super-methods. There are three types of processes to
consider during the design phase that will impact the method
hierarchy. The three types are:
·
Processes independent of database objects.
·
Processes attached to base-level database objects.
·
Processes attached to aggregate database objects.
