Grouping Data Sources into Data Systems

Data systems serve as organizational containers that group multiple data sources together. They provide a logical structure for managing related data ingestion endpoints and help maintain organizational clarity within your data architecture.

When to Use Data Systems

Data systems are ideal in the following scenarios:

• Domain grouping: When you need to group related data sources together (e.g., all sources from a particular business domain like "Customer Data System" or "Financial Analytics System")

• Access control: When you want to manage permissions and access controls at a higher level than individual data sources

• Organizational structure: When you need to provide a consistent organizational framework for your data architecture

• Resource management: When you want to simplify management by logically grouping related data ingestion points

System Boundaries are intentionally loosely defined to accommodate the complex, interconnected nature of enterprise data landscapes. A single data system might encompass multiple databases, APIs, file systems, and streaming sources that collectively support a business function. This flexibility enables organizations to model their data architecture in ways that align with business understanding rather than technical constraints.

System Examples include enterprise resource planning systems like SAP that encompass multiple modules and databases, customer relationship management platforms like Salesforce that include both core CRM data and integrated applications, project management systems like P6 that combine project data with resource and scheduling information, and cloud productivity suites like Google Workspace that include documents, spreadsheets, and collaboration data.