---
title: "Requirements"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/guide/document_modeling/requirements.html
description: "This document outlines how to capture requirements for PageSeeder modeling, covering semantic data models with entities and relationships, system requirements across business and technical dimensions, and use cases to identify actor interactions."
last_updated: 2026-08-11T16:10:45+10:00
tokens: ~438
---

# Requirements

Capturing and analyzing the requirements makes it easier to translate into a PageSeeder model.

The most useful requirements to capture for PageSeeder modeling are:

- Semantic data model (such as an entity relationship ER model).
- System requirements.
- Use cases.

## Entity-relationship model

The first step is to build a semantic data model by identifying the following:

- Entities
- Attributes
- Relationships

Identifying semantics and relationship help with translating the model into a PageSeeder solution.

### Entities and attributes

An entity is generally expressed as a noun.

#### Entities

- Identify primary keys.
- Are there any public keys?
- Cardinality – How many possible instances?

#### Attributes

- **Mutability** – Can they change?
- **Volatility** – How frequently are they changed / created?
- Data types of value (integer, string, boolean, date).
- Range of possible values (for example, 1-100, enumerated lists).

### Relationships

Relationship between entities.

A relationship is generally expressed as verb.

Note if the relationship is either of the following:

- Hierarchical
- Bidirectional

Cardinality

- 0..1, 1..1, 1..N, N..M

Semantics

## System requirements

System requirements inform design decisions.

They should include:

- Business case
- Usability
- Reliability
- Performance
- Security
- Supportability
- Documentation & help system
- Training
- Future developments

## Use cases

Use cases are helpful to identify actors and how they interact with PageSeeder.

Use cases should include:

- A title or goal
- Actors
- Scope
- Success / failure scenarios
- Related information

## Next...

See common approaches to [PageSeeder modeling](/guide/document_modeling/data_modeling.md).