The “Domain Model”

There has been some recent discussion on User Stories, the Ubiquitous Language of a domain, and Domain Models. I have been fairly confused because I am not clear on what folks have meant by the “Domain Model.” Some folks seem to be referring to the true code construct that results from 1) having a user story define some desired behavior, 2) discussion of this behavior, and 3) refinement of the concepts into the code construct.

From the beginning of Evan’s book, I think of the domain model as:

 “A domain model is not a particular diagram; it is the idea that the diagram is intended to convey. It is not just the knowledge in a domain expert’s head; it is a rigorously organized and selective abstraction of that knowledge. A diagram can represent and communicate a model, as can carefully written code, as can an English sentence.”

Yes, the domain language does drive the model. And user stories drive that original discussion. But the model is not just code. Once discussed, refined, and hammered out, it is these concepts of the domain model that enter the ubiquitous language, whether or not those concepts end up in code.

My $2. I don’t disagree with other folks out there – just explaining what I’ve always thought of the model.

What do you guys think?