UNIT 3

METADATA
 Metadata framework
• A metadata framework is a sort of repository
that allows company workers to quickly find
and manage different documents produced and
stored throughout the company.
• There are three types of metadata that are
essential for data governance:
– business metadata,
– technical metadata, and
– operational metadata.
• All three types of metadata are essential for
effective data governance.
• Business metadata helps ensure that data is
used appropriately and in the right context.
• Technical metadata helps IT professionals
manage data effectively.
• Operational metadata helps track data usage
and ensure that data is being used
appropriately.
• Business metadata is information about data
that is important to the business.
• It includes information such as the
– meaning of data elements,
– the business rules that govern data, and
– the relationships between data elements.
• Business metadata is essential for
understanding the context of data and ensuring
that it is used appropriately.
• For example, if a business has a customer
database, business metadata would include
information about what each field in the
database means, such as the customer's name,
address, phone number, and email address.
• It would also include information about how
the data should be used, such as which fields
are required and which are optional.
• Technical metadata is information about data
that is important to IT professionals.
• It includes information such as the data format,
the data type, the data structure, and the data
location.
• Technical metadata is essential for
understanding how data is stored and accessed.
• For example, if a business has a customer
database, technical metadata would include
information about how the data is stored, such
as the file format, the database management
system, and the server location.
• Operational metadata is information about
the use of data. It includes information such as
when data was accessed, who accessed it, and
what changes were made to it.
• Operational metadata is essential for ensuring
that data is being used appropriately and for
tracking data usage.
• For example, if a business has a customer
database, operational metadata would include
information about when the data was accessed,
who accessed it, and what changes were made
to it.
 Master data management [MDM]
• Master Data Management (MDM) is the
technology, tools and processes that ensure
master data is coordinated across the
enterprise.
• MDM provides a unified master data service
that provides accurate, consistent and
complete master data across the enterprise and
to business partners.
 How important is master data
management?
• MDM is an integral part of the enterprise data
management architecture designed to help
businesses get a consolidated view of the data
scattered across the organisation.
• These include managing enterprise data across
key domains such as products, materials,
customers, vendors, pricing, and
employees, etc.
• There are 6 types of data typically found in
corporations:
1. Unstructured Data: Data found in email,
white papers, magazine articles, corporate
intranet portals, product specifications,
marketing collateral and PDF files.
2. Transactional Data: Data about business
events such as sales, invoices etc.
• 3. Metadata: Data about other data. It may reside
in a formal repository or in various other forms,
such as XML documents, report definitions,
column descriptions in a database, log files,
connections and configuration files.
4. Reference Data: A special type of master data
used to categorize other data or used to relate data
to information beyond the boundaries of the
enterprise. Reference data can be shared across
master or transactional data objects
• 5. Master Data: The core data within the
enterprise that describes objects around which
business is conducted.
• It typically changes infrequently and can
include reference data that is necessary to
operate the business. Master data is not
transactional in nature, but it does describe
transactions.
Various types of Assets that require DG
• The term data asset is used in data governance
to describe any data element or a data
structure that has value to an organization
and enables it to perform its functions.
• A data asset may be a database or a dataset. It
may also be a structure (e.g., a table or a view)
within a larger data asset, down to a specific
column or field.
Classification of Assets
 Current and Non-current Assets
• Current assets are those that you can convert into
cash within one year, such as short-term
investments and accounts receivable.
• Non-current assets are longer-term assets with a
full value that you cannot recognize until after one
year, such as property and machinery.
• Examples of current assets include cash, marketable
securities, inventory, and accounts receivable.
• Examples of noncurrent assets include long-term
investments, land, property, plant, and equipment
(PP&E), and trademarks.
 Tangible and Intangible Assets
• Tangible assets are physical assets that can be
seen, touched and felt. Examples of tangible
assets are machinery, building, vehicles,
company logo, land.
• An intangible asset is a non-monetary asset
that cannot be seen or touched. Examples of
intangible assets are intellectual property
rights, copyright, goodwill, patents
trademarks, etc.
 Operating and Non-Operating Assets
• Operating Assets are the assets of a company
that contribute to generating revenue.
Examples are tangible assets such as cash and
equipment, intangible assets
• Non-operating assets do not help in the day-
to-day operations of the business, but they
may be investments or assets that can be
disposed of to generate income to finance the
operations of the business.
 Metadata use for data governance
1. Metadata is essential for any organization's
digital transformation, including data
governance.
2. It can provide organizations with insights and
visibility into their data assets and enable them
to effectively manage and govern the use of
their data.
3. When managed properly, metadata can improve
the accuracy, integrity, and security of data
systems across the enterprise, as well as to take
successful business decisions.
 Key practices for managing metadata
• To maximize the value of metadata, effective
management and governance of the data are
essential. Below are some key best practices
for managing metadata and ensuring proper
governance:
1. Establish metadata standards. Ensure that
specific standards and guidelines related to
metadata are in place.
2. Develop a metadata framework. Set up an
organizational data roadmap that outlines the
strategy and approach for managing metadata
and data governance.
3. Utilize appropriate tools. Leverage tools
that can enable automated collection and
storage of metadata
4. Monitor, audit, and review. Periodically
review the metadata to ensure that it aligns
with standards and access rights, as well as
that it is up to date.
• By following these guidelines, organizations
can ensure that their metadata is accurately
captured, properly managed, and effectively
governed.
 Risk Managment
• Data risk management includes all practices for
identifying risks, assessing risks, and reducing
risks to an acceptable level.
• Steps of the risk management process
• Identify the risk.
• Analyze the risk.
• Prioritize the risk.
• Treat the risk (Through Insurance Co.)
• Monitor the risk.
Operational Risk
• Operational risk is usually caused by four
different avenues: people, processes, systems,
or external events.
• Operational risk caused by people can arise
due to employee deficiencies or employee
shortages. For example, a company may not
have staff that has the knowledge needed to
tackle a specific problem.
How to manage Operational Risks through
DG?
• Operational risk can be summarized as a
human risk; it is the risk of business operations
failing due to human error. It changes from
industry to industry.
• Industries with lower human interaction are
likely to have lower operational risk.
• Data risk management is the practice an
organization uses with governance, process,
procedures, and compliance for acquiring,
storing, processing, transforming, and using
data to manage and eliminate data risks.
• Risk analysis involves looking at organization
assets, possible threats, and vulnerabilities to
determine risk then putting in countermeasures
relative to managing risk.
Data risk is due to:
• Poor data governance – Poor data
governance often results in low-quality data
that is inconsistent, inaccurate, or incomplete.
This can lead to misguided decision-making,
faulty analyses, and inefficient operations.
• Data mismanagement – The entire lifecycle
of data has to be protected as data moves from
one stage to the next, including data at rest and
in transit. All practices for acquiring, storing,
transforming, loading, and processing of data
have to be managed appropriately.
• Inadequate Data Security – Neglecting data
protection can bring devastating consequences,
including business interruption leading to
financial losses, reputational damage, and
legal implications.
• Bad patch management – System patches
have to keep up to date and be timely; a
window of opportunity for cyber attacks can
happen if patch management is not done
effectively and efficiently.
• [Patch management is the process of applying updates to
software, drivers, and firmware to protect against
vulnerabilities.]
END