Metadata Management ensures that everyone has a common understanding of what things mean

Metadata Management

A central principle of sound Data Governance is to recognize data as a corporate asset, and, like other assets (plant, property, fittings, people etc) it should be inventoried. A Metadata repository is nothing more than an “Information Inventory”, where all data and terminology used by the organisation has a well defined meaning and can be easily associated with relevant business rules. Frequently the same data can have different meanings to different people (departments), and so the Metadata programme must respect the needs of all the users of the data that it inventories.

Furthermore, metadata projects often go only as far as inventorying the technical aspects of data, eg. where it is stored, it’s format rules and so on. However, that’s the easy part: the true benefit of a metadata repository is only realised when the business meaning is taken into account, and when a concerted attempt is made to identify and to sustain a “Business Glossary” for the entire organisation.

This task is easier said than done, as it is not simply a matter of listing all the data and terms that exist in the organisation in an Excel spreadsheet! This is where InfoBlueprint can help, as we have developed techniques to assist companies in assimilating their metadata, and in building sustainable metadata repositories, that do not have to be based on multi-million Rand software products.

Metadata, together with a sound Enterprise Information Model, form the very core of best practice Data Governance and Enterprise Information Management. Let InfoBlueprint help your organisation build a metadata solution that will ensure that you take control of your most important asset – information.

Please contact us for an informal, no-obligation discussion about your metadata requirements.