The Advanced Database Design course, or Advanced Data Modeling, is no longer being taught at the University of Minnesota. Click here for more information on the course. Instead, time is being spent putting the lectures on my YouTube channel making the material available to anyone.

At the University of Minnesota, Gordon has specialized in teaching Computers and Information Systems; Database Management, Design, and Administration; Data Warehousing; and the Legal Aspects of Computing. After the Y2K tsunami hit our industry (see an opinion paper), hiring in IS/IT collapsed, and students stopped majoring in MIS. With many IT courses being cancelled, he took a somewhat forced early "retirement" (in 2004). This allowed more time to devote to his passion -- educating IS practitioners in advanced data modeling techniques using Object Role Modeling (ORM) and the supporting data modeling tools (NORMA, and Visio in Visual Studio). For more details, see Brief Resume.

Broad mission: To help managers make better decisions through support of information technology, and to help organizations better use computers and databases, through consulting and education (see GEMS).

Specific Mission: To get the whole world of data modelers (enterprise data architects) to begin data modeling in terms of facts. Fact Modeling should be the first stage of "data" modeling. This avoids the pitfalls and problems stemming from TABLE THINK, that is, modeling in terms of entity tables too early in the process. Object Role Modeling is a particular flavor of fact modeling which is a significantly better way to do data modeling (see Why ORM?). Online delivery of the Advanced Data Modeling course is one step toward that goal.

Your feedback on this website or anything else is welcome -- send an email to: geverest@umn.edu