Data as a Service: A Framework for Providing Reusable Enterprise Data Services

Chapter 6 Business Glossary for DaaS

Topics Covered in this Chapter

• This chapter provides an overview of the underlying reasons why organizations need to develop a standardized business glossary for their various data services published for user consumption.
• DaaS projects need to ensure that a business glossary of shared business terms and definitions is maintained. Using common business terms that are consistent and updated can also help DaaS users spend less time struggling to understand the data that they consume. This can provide a better understanding of data to users across an organization.
• Finally, the rationale for storing a glossary in an enterprise metadata repository is discussed. Having a common, shared vocabulary across an organization can improve the overall productivity of both the business and external subscribers of data services.

“Technology alone is not enough. It's technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that makes our hearts sing.”

—Steve Jobs

Metadata in most enterprises today is a bit of a catchall term, with many generalities emphasized by those looking for a quick fix. Notwithstanding this oversimplification, business organizations cannot overlook the strategic importance of metadata. In fact, some may argue that metadata is similar to a lens through which data is filtered and turned into real information. This is because data is meaningless and even misleading at times, without context. Metadata ...