Exploring the Semantic Layer Through the Lens of MVC

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) concept, introduced in the late 70s, separates the View (presentation) from the Controller via the Model. This design pattern is still widely used in web applications like Ruby on Rails and Laravel. An interesting parallel can be drawn between MVC and data architecture through a semantic layer. A semantic layer acts as an intermediary between data consumers (like BI tools or data apps) and data sources, similar to the Controller in MVC. It also overlaps with the Model by holding data modeling and key business metrics. The semantic layer ensures consistency and governance of metrics, improving maintainability and data integrity. The benefits of a semantic layer include separation of concerns, flexibility, reusability, better data governance, and simplified metric definition in large organizations.