Logical Model

The Logical Model application is used to organize model categories and build technology-agnostic logical models (independent of any specific database or platform). The application standardizes structure and meaning before physical design, and keeps models aligned with your glossary and documentation.

General overview

A logical data model describes what the data is and how it relates, independent of any specific database technology. It is more detailed than a conceptual model (which is business-only) and less implementation-bound than a physical model (tables, indexes, datatypes in a chosen database).

In practice, a logical model defines:

• Entities (e.g., Customer, Order) and their attributes (CustomerID, Email, OrderDate)
• The relationships between entities (Customer 1—n Order)
• Basic rules such as which attributes are optional or mandatory, and the cardinality of each relationship.

It avoids vendor specifics (no clustered indexes, storage settings) but is precise enough that multiple teams would build the same structure from it.

Purpose of logical models:

• Create a clear, shared blueprint between business and engineering before committing to physical schemas.
• Standardize definitions across domains, reducing duplicate or conflicting structures.
• Support governance through traceability from glossary terms and documentation to the data that implements them, including impact analysis and stewardship decisions.
• De-risk delivery by reviewing cardinalities, normalization, and data ownership early, when changes are still inexpensive.

Example

Below, you can find a simplified example demonstrating the differences between conceptual, logical, and physical models.

Logical Model object types

Logical Model has the following object types:

Object type	Use
Model	A container for your logical modeling work. Use it to group related logical diagrams and their entities by domain or project.
Logical Diagram	The canvas where you design and save a logical data model by adding entities, attributes, and drawing their relationships.
Entity	A business object within a logical diagram (e.g., Customer, Order).
Attribute	A property of an entity (e.g., CustomerID, Email). Defines the facts, keys, and rules that describe that entity.

Logical Model relations with Logical Model

Entities can have relations with other entities or their attributes. The following relations are allowed:

Entity ↔ Entity:

• Specialization (of): One entity is a more specific version of another (subtype/supertype). For example, Gold Customer is a specialization of Customer.
• Association (of): A general relationship between two entities that are connected but not in a subtype/supertype way. For example, Customer is associated with Order.

Entity ↔ Attribute of another entity:

• Specialization: An attribute in one entity is modeled as a separate entity for more detail or reuse. For example, an attribute Address on Customer linked to an Address entity.
• Verbal Concept: The attribute represents a business concept that should be captured explicitly as an entity or term. For example, an attribute Risk Level linked to a Risk Level concept.
• Association: A general relationship between an entity and an attribute of another entity. Indicate dependency, reference, or usage between them without implying specialization.

Logical Model relations with Business Glossary

Logical Model objects can have relations to Business Glossary objects.

1. Related

This relation is manually created and can be used to link any Logical Model objects to any Business Glossary objects. Use this relation to explicitly define conceptual or operational connections that may not be evident from simple mentions (see tokenization).

2. Has Rule

This relation type is manually created between an Entity and a Business Rule, define how the data for that entity is allowed to behave. For example, rules can define valid values, mandatory conditions, calculation logic, or data quality constraints.

3. Belongs to

This relation connects an entity to a Business Domain, which groups related terms, rules, and indicators. Linking entities to a Business Domain makes it easier to see where the data is used, who owns it, and how it fits into the broader business context.

Key features

Logical Model

The Logical Model object type allows you to build fully customizable diagrams that visually represent your data, including its entities, attributes, and the relationships between them. You can draw arrows for different relation types, including crow’s foot notation for cardinalities. This helps create a clear, shared understanding of how data is structured, supports communication between business and technical teams, and makes it easier to spot design issues or governance gaps before they reach your physical data layer.

For more information on how to create diagrams, refer to Modeling diagrams.

Adding a Logical Model to your space

1. In the top-right corner of your space, click  and select + Add application.
2. Select Logical Model and choose your workflow (for more information on workflow types, see Workflows).

Add objects

Add a Model (parent object)

First, add a Model.

1. In your Logical Model app, click Create in the top navigation bar.
2. Name your Model (other object types are not available at this hierarchy level).
3. To add a description for your model, click the  icon in the top-right of the Description box to enter the edit mode.

Add a Logical Diagram or an Entity (child object)

Next, add your a Logical Diagram or an Entity to the newly created model.

1. In your Model, click Create in the top navigation bar to add an object.

2. Name the object and select one of the following object types:

   • Logical Diagram: A canvas for your diagram.
   • Entity: A business object within a logical diagram

3. Click the  icon in the top-right of the text box to enter descriptions.

Add an Attribute

1. In your Entity, click Create in the top navigation bar to add an object.
2. Name the Attribute and create it.
3. Click the  icon in the top-right of the text box to enter descriptions.