What is Metadata?

Overview

In the simplest of terms, Metadata is data about data. A simple example of metadata for a document might include a collection of information like the author, file size, the date and time the document was created, and even some keywords to describe the document itself.

Why is this important?

Metadata is the behind-the-scenes information that's leveraged everywhere, by every industry, in multiple and unique ways. Metadata adds context to the data that you are analyzing, as well as insights that significantly improve your data’s potential. Metadata is vital for Database management and has been around for a long time.

Think of Metadata like the book cover of a book, it briefly tells you the size, topic, author, and in some cases a small summary of the book. This allows you to understand what to expect from the book's topic, contents, size, and insights. It also helps you find the book faster on the shelf of your cabinet. That is why Metadata management is so important.

Common Types Of Metadata

• Descriptive metadata properties can include title, subject, genre, author, and creation date.
• Trivial learnings or knowledge that data consumers have learned from data.
• Rights metadata might include copyright status, rights holder, or license terms.
• Technical metadata properties include file types, size, creation date and time, and type of compression.
• Preservation metadata is used in navigation (navigation between systems in an organization). Example preservation metadata properties include an item's place in a hierarchy or sequence.
  

Datalogz can help your organization take full advantage of all your data and metadata.