What is metadata and what is its use?

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In this post we give a brief definition of the concept of metadata, as well as its usefulness when using it in the current digitalized environment.
It is common to describe the term metadata as data that describes other data or "data about data" . In general, in fact, the concept of metadata refers to data that speaks about data, that is, describes the content of files or information about them.



What is the meaning of the term "metadata"?
The etymology of the term metadata also gives us a clue as to its meaning. From the Greek μετα, "after" and the plural "data" of the Latin datum -i, "data", it literally means "beyond the data", overseas chinese in europe data to data that describes other data . Specifically, the use of the term from a computer science perspective takes this generic conception as its starting point, both individually and when a group of metadata describes a group of data or resources.

Metadata are characterized by:

Being highly structured data that describes characteristics of the data, such as content, quality, information and other circumstances or attributes.
They present differentiations that will ultimately depend on the rules included in the applications to determine the internal structure of the data schemas.
They can be classified according to different criteria, such as their content, variability or function.
In the current context of Big Data, the Internet of Things and cloud computing, metadata has acquired unprecedented relevance . Faced with huge amounts of information that grow exponentially, metadata management can be of great help in gaining operational efficiency and/or making better decisions to obtain competitive advantages.



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The advantages of metadata management
The benefits of metadata management are numerous. This "information about information" encompasses all the attributes of the data that each file describes and, together, provides information of interest with very different uses when it comes to improving data management .

Not in vain, in the organizational environment metadata plays an important role as a reference framework , in line with a generic vision that Forrester Research summarizes by defining it as "the information that describes or provides the context for the data, content, business processes, services, business rules and policies supporting the information systems of an organization."

Its multifunctionality is, in fact, one of the main characteristics of this powerful tool for managing data as an asset. Specifically, these are some of the most advantageous functions of good metadata management when it comes to improving data management and governance processes:

Facilitates searches and analysis: Metadata helps to search and locate data. Good metadata management also facilitates the analysis of the course of data from the source, facilitating self-documentation, as well as transformation, analysis and reporting functions.
Facilitates standardization: By eliminating errors and inconsistencies, data standardization improves data quality throughout its life cycle. By managing metadata in a centralized repository, we will obtain a more complete view of the data life cycle, from creation to consumption, as well as advantages in process control.

Integration support: Metadata is key in hybrid integration. By using a centralized metadata repository for shared use between IT and business users, we will facilitate governance, as well as the application of best practices by IT and business users. This is very useful in hybrid structures to improve data management in an integrated manner.