Model your domain

Turn operational vocabulary into durable Atlas objects and semantics.

A good Atlas model reflects how the organization reasons, without copying every source table or application screen.

Start with nouns and decisions

Collect the durable nouns in the workflow, then ask what decisions people make about them. A noun is a candidate object when it needs stable identity, history, relationships, governance, or workflow membership.

Separate the layers

Question	Model as
What kind of thing is this?	Object type
Which durable thing is it?	Object record
What does a source call it?	Identity
What is true about it?	Attribute
How is it connected?	Relationship
How is it measured?	Semantic metric
Which workflow contains it?	List entry
Where is it in that workflow?	Cycle stage
What decision does the evidence support?	Analysis
Who or what acted, and why?	Execution record

Review the model

Before implementation, verify that:

• display-name changes do not break identity;
• provider replacement does not require a new business object;
• relationships have clear direction and meaning;
• metric definitions include grain and time boundaries;
• workflow state is not duplicated as permanent object identity;
• access and lifecycle requirements are explicit;
• an agent can explain the meaning without relying on hidden prompt context.

Use identities for external references, relationships for meaning, attributes for state, Lists for scope, Cycles for repeatability, analyses for decisions, and execution records for accountability.

Model the smallest complete slice that supports one real decision. Extend it when a new use case introduces genuinely new meaning.