Data Glossary
“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” — Socrates
Data is the resource that fuels our digital economy, but most enterprises find it difficult to get value out of their data because they do not know what they have, where it is, or what it means.
An Overview of Data Glossary
Data is the lifeblood of the Information Age, but to be used successfully it must be named and understood. Global IDs support these fundamental requirements with their Data Glossary capability.
The management of names is needed to ensure the same data element is not called different things in reports, dashboards, screens, and so on thereby confusing. Data element names should be either accepted business usage or descriptive of what the data means. All of this needs a Data Glossary where names can be found and managed. Collaboration in naming is also part of what is required.
Global IDs’ Data Glossary
Global IDs Data Glossary provides all of the functionality needed for searching and collaboration, making it possible for enterprises to successfully address their terminology needs around data.
Beyond terminology is the need to understand the meaning of data elements and other data objects, which, at a minimum requires management of definitions. Again, Global IDs Data Glossary search and collaboration features help with this need. In addition, workflows are particularly important in the management of definitions as different roles need to be involved.
Importance of Workflow in Different Roles
For instance, a Subject-Matter Expert (SME) may know what a particular data element means and can provide this information, but a Business Analyst (BA) may need to take the text and standardize it so that references to other data elements are correctly named and hyperlinked, as well as copy editing the text.
It is easy to see how important workflow among the different roles is, and Global IDs Data Glossary provides rich functionality to design and operate the needed workflows.
How to Deal with Large Sets of Data Glossary?
While collaboration and workflows are important in steady-state data governance, there is often a need to deal with large sets of Data Glossary content when a particular area of the business is being brought under data governance, or even for a particular project. In these situations, it is usual to get the content prepared in spreadsheets first.
Global IDs Data Glossary supports this approach with an easy-to-use bulk import of business terms and definitions from spreadsheets, and other file formats too.
Global IDs Platform Links Business Terms in the Data Glossary to Technical Data Objects
The Global IDs Data Glossary gets tremendous added value by leveraging the other components of the Global IDs Platform to link business terms in the Data Glossary to technical data objects. In this way, technical data objects become understandable to the business.
This highlights the central role played by the Data Glossary in how the entire Global IDs platform delivers value to the enterprise.
Contact us at +1 (888) 514-0192 to learn more about Global IDs Data Glossary and to request a demo.
How It Works
Understanding the data that drives your enterprise – where it is, what it is, and its state of integrity. This is the first step toward getting control of enterprise data.
What are We Talking about?
Without clear definitions of what we are talking about, we may only appear to communicate. Somewhat different meanings naturally may accrue to key business terms across divisions, departments, or even individuals, resulting in miscommunication and its attendant effects. A common reference or data glossary for key business terms is therefore essential.
Agreement on Definitions Means Collaboration
Precise and adequate definitions of business terms require the contribution and agreement of more than one individual. Global IDs Data Glossary is a collaborative tool for proposing, evaluating, and approving new (or old) terms and their definitions.
Data Glossary: An Entry Point to the Data Landscape
Key business terms typically relate to one or more critical data elements or objects. When integrated with the functions of the Global IDs Data Ecosystem Evolution Platform (DEEP) platform, Data Glossary definitions provide easy entry points to visualizing and querying the logical and physical data landscape through functions such as Global IDs Data Catalog.
At a Glance
The Global IDs platform maintains an up-to-date, comprehensive inventory of data assets, wherever they are in the ecosystem.
