Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Canonical data model
Also known as: common data model, canonical model
German: Kanonisches Datenmodell
In systems integration, a canonical data model is a shared, application-independent data model that all integrated systems map to and from, so that each system needs one mapping to the canonical model instead of a separate mapping to every other system.
- System integration
In one sentence
A canonical data model is a shared data model that all integrated systems map to, replacing many point-to-point mappings with one mapping each.
Example
A manufacturer defines one canonical “production order” message; ERP, MES and the line controllers each translate their own order format to and from it.
How it applies
- Integration: With n systems, point-to-point integration can need up to n × (n − 1) mappings; a canonical model reduces this to one mapping per system. Industry models such as ISA-95 / B2MML or OPC UA companion specifications can serve as a starting point.
- Governance: The canonical model becomes a shared asset. It needs an owner, versioning and Schema governance; otherwise every project extends it differently.
- Documentation: Document field meanings, units and allowed values in one data dictionary and reuse it in interface documents. Terminology in manuals and HMIs benefits when it follows the same definitions.
Canonical data model vs. information model
A canonical data model is a technical exchange format for integration. An Information model describes the concepts of a domain and their relationships more broadly; a canonical model may be derived from it.