Alec Sharp on Concept Modelling with Normal People

At the Data Warehousing & BI Summit, that took place end of March, 2026 in Utrecht, Alec Sharp presented his session Concept Modelling with Normal People – Five Key Lessons From 45 Years of Modelling. Eventually, over many modelling assignments around the globe, in every kind of organisation and culture, a small number of core principles emerged for effective modelling. All revolve around the idea we’re modelling for people, not machines.

It turns out, even in the age of AI, virtual work, misinformation, and constantly changing technology, these lessons are proving to be just important as – or even more important than – ever. In this interview with BI-Platform, Alec Sharp tells us what the biggest misconception is people have about conceptual modelling, how to connect conceptual models to business value and how to handle stakeholders who insist on jumping straight to solution‑level details.

All our video interviews with speakers of the Data Warehousing & BI Summit by BI-Platform will also be published on our YouTube channel. Stay tuned and feel free to subscribe.
The data modelling related workshops that Adept Events runs with Alec Sharp are listed on this page.