What Is Enterprise Metadata Management?

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Written By Haisam Abdel Malak
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Enterprise metadata management involves organizing and storing all the data for an enterprise in a way that can be easily accessed. This includes both structured and unstructured data like text documents, images, audio files etc. Metadata management also involves updating the metadata to keep it accurate with current information from time to time.

Enterprise metadata management is a process of managing metadata to make sure that it is well-organized, easily accessible and up-to-date. It helps in the identification, storage, retrieval and presentation of various pieces of information in an enterprise.

In the current environment, many organizations are experiencing difficulty in meeting the high-quality metadata requirements of enterprise data. Many organizations find it difficult to manage metadata that is both compliant and well-maintained. There are three main effects on personal productivity due to metadata management: accuracy, quality control and consistency.

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What is Enterprise Metadata Management?

Enterprise Metadata Management is the process of managing metadata to ensure data quality and compliance. Metadata Management is the act of collecting and maintaining data about a particular data set. It is the first step in a larger process known as Enterprise Metadata Management (EMM). EMM is a process that involves planning, designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise information architecture.

Metadata is a set of data that describes other data. It can be used to store information about the content, format, and structure of a file or database table. Metadata can also be used to describe the relationships between different datasets.

Metadata management software is software that enables organizations to manage metadata in a centralized database or repository. This software helps organizations manage their metadata by providing them with tools for creating, maintaining, and governing their metadata.

The importance of Enterprise Metadata Management increases as the size of an organization grows.

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What is METADATA: Why Is It Extremely Important? (theecmconsultant.com)

How to Implement a Successful Metadata Management Strategy In Organizations

Enterprise metadata management is a process that ensures data quality and integrity. It is a critical component of any data governance strategy.

Metadata is a key element in the enterprise metadata management strategy. It should be implemented with the aim of improving data quality, reducing costs and improving performance.

There are four key components to an enterprise metadata management strategy:

1- Defining the scope

The first step in developing an enterprise metadata management strategy considers the scope of the enterprise. This includes defining a set of functional areas to be collected, identifying data elements to be used in each of those areas and deciding what information will be collected from sources outside the enterprise.

2- Identifying gaps in current processes

The second step in developing an enterprise metadata management strategy involves identifying gaps in existing processes related to collecting, cataloging, finding, sharing and removing data. For example, an organization may have a paper inventory that it has been storing on card decks but there is still a need to digitize it.

3- Developing new processes

The third step in developing an enterprise metadata management strategy is to determine the cost-benefits of the desired actions. An organization should consider the costs associated with collecting, cataloging, searching for and removing data, as well as any anticipated savings in time and money that may result from implementing metadata management processes.

4- Creating policies for managing enterprise metadata

The fourth step in developing an enterprise metadata management strategy is to determine the strategies for managing data. An organization should identify the data types it manages, such as customer and supplier information, and the quantity of records involved. It can then assign an appropriate strategy to collect, manage and search these records over time. An organization may want to use a strategic archiving strategy, which can include determining the shortest retention period for all types of records.

How Metadata Can Be Used In An Enterprise?

Metadata can be used in an enterprise to gather more insights about the company’s products and services. This includes the type of product, its price, the number of units sold, and even reviews from customers. Metadata is a powerful tool for businesses because it provides them with data that they can use to make more informed decisions.

Metadata is not just limited to marketing purposes; it can also be used for research purposes as well as it provides insights into what people are looking for on the internet.

How to Integrate Enterprise Metadata Management with Data Quality Tools?

Data quality tools are used to ensure that metadata management in enterprise is accurate and up-to-date. Data quality tools can be used to cleanse, validate, and standardize data in order to improve the overall quality of an organization’s data assets.

Data quality tools can be categorized into three major types:

1- Text-based quality assurance tools

The first category of data quality tools is primarily used for textual forms of data, such as in spreadsheets or databases. These tools allow the user to manage large amounts of content and better understand how that content is organized and how it relates to others.

2- Data mapping and tracing software

The second category of data quality tools is used for more complex types of data, such as geospatial or textual information. While these tools can be used for data mapping and tracing, they are also commonly referred to as business intelligence software.

3- Statistical methods

Finally, the third type of data quality tools uses statistical methods to improve the quality of information. The most common types of software in this category are predictive analytics and machine learning software.

Data quality tools include:

1. Data mapping or data tracing tools

2. Business intelligence software (BI)

3. Statistical methods

Is Enterprise Metadata Management Part Of Data Governance?

It is usually not seen as a part of data governance, but it should be.

It can be said that enterprise metadata management is not part of data governance because data governance mainly focuses on the processes and procedures around data quality, security, and privacy.

However, it should be considered as part of data governance because metadata are important to know if they are accurate or not in order to make decisions about what kind of data needs to be protected, who needs access to it, and how long it should stay in storage.

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