JCM, 12/27/2011
In theory, clinical modellers erect an abstraction barrier to keep the details of coding systems out of their data models. According to this theory:
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"Data Models" describe classes or types of data, along with the properties that class members can/should/must assign. For instance, let's take a model for "Prescription" specifying that each Prescription has a required start date, optional end date, and a required "drug" field.
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"Coding Systems" are separately-maintained sets of values that a data model can "bind" to a given property. These are often large, multi-purpose systems maintained by teams of analysts working for a major healthcare organization, government, or SDO. For instance: