Entity Relationship diagrams get several notations. One of the most popular is the UML notation, then it is called a class diagram. This UML diagram represents the conceptual objects for object oriented programming or a data model.
Abstraction made of the levels of detail which are possible in diagramming; the main reasons for not using entity-relationship models (ERM) are the following:
My colleague, Ivo Velitchkov, and myself had a lot of different opinions, discussions, arguments, ... but we had one goal in mind: we wanted to model a generic enterprise in the public sector. Hence the enterprise architecture represented semantically.
Achieving that goal was in fact, as you can read from the above, a lot of fun 
. The main reason is we have different backgrounds and concepts are interpreted differently according to that background and that's a source of richness.
Just like other disciplines, Enterprise Architecture as an art, tries to capture real operational problems which are then abstracted to provide generic answers. This is quite different in semantic technologies: reality is described without the many abstraction levels proper to IT traditional technologies. Semantic technologies have their roots in phylosophy (ontologies with their taxonomies), further specialised in mathematics (set theory) to support logic applied to the described reality. This logic aims at deriving more information than what is asserted.
Finding the right approach was a balance which was not easy to find but incredibly rewarding and learnful for the 2 of us.
Metadata or the information about (an organisation's) data is managed the same way as thesaurii.
A thesaurus in the computer world refers to a structured organisation of concepts or even narrower eventually, to a database.
An ontology adds meaning to that organisation by different means. These means are subject of the later chapters.
On the need for a thesaurus one can find detailed information here.
A thesaurus applied through semantic technologies consists of 2 parts:
Adaptive Case Management
Adaptive Case Management (ACM) has strong ties in its application with knowledge modelling.
Therefor, it's nice to know what ACM is and how it can be implemented through semantic technologies.
ACM can be seen as BPM new wave, as a different means of implementation of BPM.2
The management of processes has as purpose the realisation of the organisation's strategy.
Processes describe which activities, with which input and output are needed to produce a specific output. The processes put the activities into a chronological order and document the conditions necessary to perform any sequence of activities. Example: the policy formulation process.
The realisation of the web 3.0(web of meaningful information) includes the development of technologies whose impact on the conduct of business can today not be fully measured. Whether one is active on the web or not, these technologies allow revolutionary approaches in several business domains: knowledge, product development, production, IT, enterprise architecture, ... and require a shift of paradigm to handle them in economically more developed economies.
Less developed economies adopt them easier and take advantage of them right now.
Ivo Velitchkov put the right questions around the subject. This is more difficult than formulating an answer, which can reflect the interviewed point of view.
In the referenced article, you'll find my answers. I'm eager to learn yours by mail or through the Harvard Business user group.
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