When is metadata used

Not me. Instead, this article explains six of the most crucial types in detail. Descriptive metadata is, in its most simplified version, an identification of specific data.

This often refers to elements like titles, dates and keywords. When a user downloads a video file, for example, the runtime of the film would be descriptive metadata. Descriptive metadata is often the most commonly referenced and utilized metadata, since it is so accessible, visible and relevant on popular file types.

Structural metadata gives information concerning a specific object or resource. This often relates to a piece of digital media. Each section has a certain length of film running time, and those sections fit together into the format in a certain order. In a more broader sense, structural metadata records information about how a particular object or resource might be sorted. In the above example of the DVD, structural metadata would inform users of the correct placement of these sections on the disc.

This information may include vital details required for a system to communicate or interact with a specific file. This brings forth common factors important to preservation and maintenance, including information that shows actions taken on a digital file or the rights attached to it. Now, for physical objects this is much less important, as we do not duplicate these as often. Capturing, publishing, and updating metadata on every current and future data project will yield decreased time to insights, helping the business make better informed business decisions, faster.

By understanding and evaluating metadata from various perspectives, together with an integrated data governance program, organizations can successfully build a comprehensive metadata glossary, secure a metadata management solution, and empower all data users to take advantage of trustworthy data. Are you looking for more information about metadata? Read our eBook Why Metadata Management is an Essential Element of Data Governance , to learn more about how metadata is used and why it is key to supporting data governance initiatives.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness among organizations around their data and the role it plays in the success or failure of their most critical business functions. This shift in The umbrella term data management covers distinct tasks, enabling a business to preserve, sustain, and extract value from data.

With various disciplines comprising data management, there is often Are you suffering from data exhaustion? Precisely Editor November 8, Share on: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook.

Defining diverging metadata perspectives Metadata provides a comprehensive understanding of where data resides in an organization and how it is deployed. Physical metadata covers the specifics of: within which system data resides, the schema, table, and column or key-value level of detail.

This information is machine generated and automatically pulled from software systems. Logical metadata provides details on how data is linked together to form larger sets.

It also outlines how data flows through systems and processes, from creation, to storage, transformation, and consumption. Metadata is created and collected because it enables and improves use of that data. Finding Data: Metadata makes it much easier to find relevant data. Most searches are done using text like a Google search , so formats like audio, images, and video are limited unless text metadata is available. Metadata also makes text documents easier to find because it explains exactly what the document is about.

Using Data: To use a dataset, researchers need to understand how the data is structured, definitions of terms used, how it was collected, and how it should be read.