In this episode of the Business Thinking Podcast, we sit down with Joe Barter, one of our in-house analysts and data modelling experts, to tackle a hands-on question: *“How do I actually start a data model?”* Whether you're staring at a blank whiteboard or trying to wrangle ideas into a structure, we break down how to move from chaos to concepts — with practical tips, process thinking, and a little help from GenAI.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome and intro

00:18 – “I’ve been asked to build a data model — where do I start?”

00:33 – Just start sketching and asking questions

01:01 – Hubs and links: the core of Data Vault

01:23 – Start with a process model, not a data model

02:05 – Identifying concepts through business actions

02:41 – Using GenAI to seed your initial model

03:33 – How roles and perspectives influence modelling

04:16 – Paper, whiteboards, and sticky notes — why tools can come later

05:14 – Miro and collaborative concept modelling

05:39 – Embracing mistakes and iteration

06:10 – Evolving the model over time

06:45 – Concepts become hubs, relationships become links

07:08 – Model just the problem at hand

07:25 – Keep it simple: one A4 page is often enough

07:44 – Call for listener tips and favourite techniques

08:06 – Wrap up and outro

🔗 Links & Resources:

👉 Free modelling guides and resources: https://bit.ly/4f9AYs9

👉 Learn more about Data Vault modelling: https://bit.ly/4eNkczq

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe!