MetaData

Metadata is of critical interest in today’s data-driven business environment, and there is a growing awareness of the need for both business and technical users to embrace it.

Metadata Defined

Many people assume that metadata is something very technical and complex, but its purpose is simple to understand: Metadata provides context for business and technical users by providing the “who, what, where, when, and why” of data.

Start Small with Metadata Management

With so many new tools available to easily scan a lot of metadata, it’s tempting to get excited about scanning everything and going for volume. It’s better to start small, Burbank said, get buy-in from people who really understand, and curate a small set of metadata. Before jumping in, understand why this metadata is important and what the business drivers are so that it can be organized and presented from the business perspective. Holistically, all of this is important, she said, but when it’s presented, information needs to be prioritized and focused in terms of the audience.

Who Uses Metadata?

 A wide variety of roles creates and consumes metadata across the organization, both in business and IT.

“Anybody who’s touching data will be touching metadata,” said Burbank. Survey respondents identified business users as the largest group of metadata consumers and she believes that’s because they can benefit most from data in context.