____ Why Metadata is important
“Metadata, I’ve heard this term many times, but I’m not exactly sure what it is. I assume it’s a critical concept for us to consider as we embark on this journey to establish a robust platform to deliver the data and information we need to run our organisation effectively. But how important is it and how do we manage this?”
Metadata are sets of data that describe and provide information about other data. The
simplest examples of metadata are author, date created, date modified, file size etc.
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Metadata is critical to an organisation because it enables the data to be managed in a way that is meaningful to you and makes it
easier to find the information you’re looking for.
Managing your metadata offers the opportunity for organisations to successfully extract value from their data. Essentially it enables
knowledge of the data that exists and provides its users (customers, staff, investors) with improved digital experiences through the
readily accessible information.
Some of the features associated with these solutions include:
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Includes an Information Catalogue to enable users to discover information and reports, and to tag information assets including documents, images, videos etc.
Includes information related to how the data can be utilised (for what purpose), and who is allowed to access the data (as approved by the Data Owner).
Includes a Data Dictionary that captures explanatory information relating to the data, enabling business users to understand and utilise data in their own reports. Metadata is also captured to support data lineage (i.e. where the data came from and where is it being used), time travel (to be able to see the data as it looked in the past), and to measure the quality of the data.
Defines a set of standard data definitions, conformed to a common business language. This enables data captured in different formats in different systems, to be integrated and reported on together.
IMS has worked with a range of metadata management solutions on key technology platforms (e.g. Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Erwin). We have worked with organisations to establish what they need to manage the metadata, which vendor solution is most suited to their needs, and then on the implementation of the selected solution.
Our Experience IMS has extensive experience in planning, designing and
delivering these solutions around Metadata Management.
Vendor Solutions IMS has worked with metadata management solutions on key
technology platforms including Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Octopai and Erwin.
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