Data Structure Design for BI/User Story Management

Problem Analysis

The requirement involves writing a Business Intelligence (BI) user story that includes:

1. Description: A comprehensive explanation of what the user story entails.
2. Acceptance Criteria: Clear conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete.
3. Prescribed List: A defined set of billing code formats that are affected by the change.

Key Requirements:

• Manage multiple user stories effectively.
• Store the description and acceptance criteria in an accessible manner.
• Allow for efficient querying and updating of user stories.
• Facilitate the inclusion of a list of prescribed billing codes.

Recommended Data Structures

Considering the requirements outlined in the problem analysis, two primary data structures are recommended:

1. Class/Struct for User Story
2. Dictionary/Map for Prescribed Billing Codes

1. Class/Struct for User Story

Description

A class or structure to encapsulate the user story details. This structure will hold attributes for the description, acceptance criteria, and a list of changes (billing codes).

Rationale

Using a class/struct allows for organized storage of attributes related to a user story, making it easy to create, update, and manage multiple stories.

Template

Class/Struct Representation (Pseudocode)

class UserStory {
    string id        // Unique identifier for the user story
    string description // Detailed description of the user story
    list acceptanceCriteria // List of acceptance criteria
    list prescribedBillingCodes // List of billing codes affected

    // Constructor to initialize the user story
    UserStory(string id, string description, list acceptanceCriteria, list prescribedBillingCodes) {
        this.id = id
        this.description = description
        this.acceptanceCriteria = acceptanceCriteria
        this.prescribedBillingCodes = prescribedBillingCodes
    }

    // Method to update description
    void updateDescription(string newDescription) {
        this.description = newDescription
    }

    // Method to add acceptance criteria
    void addAcceptanceCriterion(string criterion) {
        this.acceptanceCriteria.append(criterion)
    }
}

2. Dictionary/Map for Prescribed Billing Codes

Description

A dictionary or map that links prescribed billing codes to their specific details or statuses (e.g., "active," "inactive," or the new format).

Rationale

Using a dictionary/map enables efficient lookups, updates, and management of billing codes, particularly when dealing with a large dataset.

Template

Dictionary/Map Representation (Pseudocode)

// Dictionary to store prescribed billing codes and their statuses
dictionary billingCodeMap

// Function to add a billing code
void addBillingCode(string code, string status) {
    billingCodeMap[code] = status
}

// Function to update a billing code status
void updateBillingCodeStatus(string code, string newStatus) {
    if (billingCodeMap.containsKey(code)) {
        billingCodeMap[code] = newStatus
    }
}

// Function to get the status of a billing code
string getBillingCodeStatus(string code) {
    return billingCodeMap[code]  // Returns status or null if code not found
}

Summary

In summary, the recommended data structures for managing a BI/user story related to changing a billing code format include:

1. User Story Class/Struct: This organizes user story information, including descriptions and acceptance criteria.
2. Billing Code Dictionary/Map: This efficiently manages prescribed billing codes and their associated statuses.

Both structures can be easily adapted across various programming languages. Utilizing these structures will provide clarity and efficiency in managing the user stories and billing codes necessary for the business analysis process.

Note

For further skills enhancement and deep dives into data structuring, consider leveraging resources from the Enterprise DNA Platform.