Data Visualization Vs. Data Modeling: In-Depth Comparison

In today’s data-driven landscape, businesses need both data visualization and data modeling to successfully claim and leverage  vast amount of data enabling informed decision-making. By integrating a mix of data modeling and visualization, organisations can unlock the full potential of their data, enhancing them to remain competitive.

What is Data modeling?

Data modeling is a process that constructs a structured representation of data and its relationships. In simpler terms, data modeling defines anything about the data: how it’s saved, how it’s returned, and how to use it. This is fundamental to building well-organized data warehouses, designing database architecture, and ensuring data system integrity. 

Types of Data Models
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• ER Model
  ‍Entity Relationship Model is a diagram of an ER model showing relationships. 

• ‍Network data model
  ‍This model has complex types of entities and relationships among them.

• Hierarchical database model  
  ‍This model organizes data in a tree structure aimed to link records from higher to lower levels. 

• ‍Relational model
  ‍This is the most widely used model in DBMS, which defines data relationships in a tabular format, which is crucial for scalable data warehousing.

Data modeling helps companies organize their information into rational constructs that AI and machine learning technology will use to conduct forecasting. TROCCO supports all data models, so companies can create flexible and adaptable data pipelines.

What is Data Visualization?

Data visualization refers to the visual representation of data using graphical elements like charts, graphs and dashboards. While data modeling organizes data, visualization breaks down complex datasets – facilitating an understanding of insights that allow for faster decision-making.

Key types of Data Visualization
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• Time Series Charts
  These are great for seeing patterns in your data over time Helps the business to track changes

• Heatmaps
  ‍deal for showing data density and also used in website analytics or geographical data.

• Bar / Line Charts
  Used to compare how different Categorical Variables correlates with each other by plotting them as Bars or Lines. 

• Dashboards
  Centralized panels that group several data visualizations into a unified display to enable businesses to monitor KPIs in real-time.

Data Modeling vs Data Visualization — Major Differences

• Purpose -
  ‍Data Modeling: Data modeling helps us to define the structure of the data and maintain accuracy.
  Data Visualization :  displays structured data (like a visual), so that it can be analyzed.

• Implementation -
  Data modeling is thefoundational step in data warehouse architecture, that helps in structuring large datasets efficiently by defining relationships, rules, and constraints.
  Data Visualization is usually used to get insights from the data model so businesses can see trends, patterns, and relationships.

• ‍Tools and Techniques -
  ‍Data Modeling involves building ER diagrams, logical database designs, and relational models in DBMS to ensure proper data relationships and structures.
  Data Visualization — Creating charts, dashboards and other visual aids for simplifying complex datasets

‍TROCCO Simplifies Data Modeling and Visualization
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Modern data management must have both elements of data modeling and data visualization. Data modeling designs how data can be structured and organised for storage whereas data visualization aids business to graphically interpret and comprehend the data. The best tools for both data modelling and visualization have some investment involved with them, but the Return On Investment (ROI) will not only allow your business to access the full potential of your data but will also streamline operations and make you smarter in everything that you do.

TROCCO serves as a no-code/low-code solution that fills the gap between building models and visualizing data. It supports all kinds of DBMS models such as ER models, relational models, multidimensional data model and so on thus allowing businesses to build powerful data pipelines without the need for vast technical experience.

TROCCO allows businesses to orchestrate and automate workflows at the same time as they harmonize large datasets, so that their data is both well-modeled and viewable with minimal user interaction. Whether you're building a complex data warehouse or launching a quick and dirty MVP of real-time dashboard, TROCCO makes your job easy as pie! Click here for a free trial.