Data Object Naming Standards Glossary
Metadata
Metadata is information about a data object.
Data Object
Data objects are repository metadata,
data models, databases, tables, views, files, entities, columns,
data elements, and attributes. The following hierarchy shows the relationship of
data objects to one another.
Repository Metadata
Data Models
Databases
Tables, Views, Files, Entities
Columns, Data Elements, Attributes
Business Name
is an English phrase of 100 characters or less that
describes a single data object (e.g., data model, database,
file, table, data element). A business name is composed of
one or more prime words, optional modifying words, and
one class word.
Class Word
is the most general qualifier in business and technical names.
It must be a noun that describes the type of the data object.
Modifying Word
refines the class of a data object. It should be used
to specify important business information that would otherwise
be missing (e.g., customer_number vs. customer_phone_number,
where "phone" is a modifying word).
Prime Word
a single word or phrase that identifies either
the application area or model area,
or, in the case of attributes or columns, the major
data category.
Technical Name
comprises abbreviations of words in the business name.
A technical name is limited in length by the constraints of
a particular programming language or technolgy tool.
There may be several technical names related to a single business
name.