I develop software, mostly web applications. I generally use a backend framework like Ruby on Rails. I have been relatively successful at modeling business domain structures into code and into database structures with a purely hands-on, intuitive approach for 15 years or more -- i.e. trial and error, and reading articles online (eg how best to store money in a database).
I'm considered a "senior" engineer, and seem to find ways to model business problems in code and data just fine. But as the years go by and I'm exposed to and work with data models that others have created, I realize there are many approaches, and I've never really truly studied this in depth or formally, and "sat at the feet of the masters" so to speak. And I'd like to and I know there's a lot I could learn.
I've read books on programming but never books that focus in depth on the art of architecting database structures to model complex real-world domains. Tonight when I went to look up books on the subject, I searched for "data modeling" thinking that would be what to call it, but all that turned up were results for making diagrams. By complex domains, I mean for example the entire domain of a travel touring company, including, itineraries, guides, tours, equipment, flights, registrations, payments, hotels, fees, etc, etc.
So I'm wondering if what I'm wanting to study is a discipline in its own right, with lots of juicy books and case studies, well known pitfalls, etc, or is it something too general to speak of in those terms.
If this discipline has a name, please let me know, along with any resource/book recommendations.