Meta-Data

coverA common, interesting discussion in the US during 2014 has been how large Enterprises (e.g., Government Agencies, Media Companies) were successfully using Meta-Data about individuals and events to make decisions. Popular or not, ‘Meta-Data’ became a buzzword for many. GITS Resources have been successfully implementing Meta-Data Oriented Solutions for over 10 Years. GITS uses a three-layered approach to understanding and managing Meta-Data, via a Meta-Data Repository. The Meta-Data Repository stores the Core, Technical, and Implementation information about each Business Attribute. We customize and populate the Meta-Data Repository to uniquely fit our clients’ needs. We also provide training/training materials on how to maintain and use the Meta-Data Repository. At the end of the engagement the Meta-Data repository is yours to keep.

The GITS Methodology defines Business Attributes in a manner that can be used to facilitate Semantic Consistency across these layers, intuitively. This ability is necessary to manage interoperability across Organizational and Geographical Units at a given enterprise.

The Core Layer

The Core Layer of the Meta-Data Repository captures the following items:

  • Business Attributes on the lowest possible level
  • Business Terms that have been defined in the Common Business Language Taxonomy developed for the enterprise (select the ‘CBL Taxonomy’ item on the website Methodology page for more information).
  • Derived Business Attributes and the associated transformation logic – the transformation logic is presented in a form that is understood by the business and can be used by Application Developers and Data Architects to develop their respective supporting solutions (e.g. text, pseudo-code)

Technical Layer

The Technical Layer of the Meta-Data Repository can be used to understand the Physical Traits of a given Business Attribute. Samples Physical Traits are provided below:

  • Standards
  • Data Types
  • Data Classifications (e.g., Codes, Names)
  • Data Quality Acceptance Criterion (e.g., Allowed Values, Timing Requirements)
  • Volumetrics

Implementation Layer

The Implementation Layer of the Meta-Data Repository contains information about the Products and Services offered by an Enterprise that are being consumed. Each Product and Service is described in the Meta-Data Repository by Business Attributes. The point of implementation (e.g., Data Layer, Transport Layer, Presentation Layer) is captured for each Product and Service at a given ‘point in time’ (effective date).