REFERENCE DATA
Reference Data – also known as “code tables” – is a vital but often overlooked area of data that has its own specific governance and management needs. Examples include Country Code, Product Type, Transaction Status.
Fig. 1 There are different kinds of data, and each has its own unique governance and management needs. There is no “one-size-fits-all”. It is important to recognize the kind of data we are dealing with – like Reference Data – to apply the correct practices.
REFERENCE DATA TABLES ARE USUALLY:
STRUCTURALLY SIMPLE, OFTEN WITH JUST A CODE AND DESCRIPTION COLUMN
SMALL IN SIZE, OFTEN WITH A FEW TO A COUPLE OF HUNDRED RECORDS
SLOWLY CHANGING, OFTEN JUST A FEW TIMES A YEAR.
WHILE THESE CHARACTERISTICS MAKE IT SEEM REFERENCE DATA IS UNIMPORTANT, REFERENCE DATA IS ALSO:
SEMANTICALLY RICH, WITH PERHAPS 50% OF BUSINESS SEMANTICS BEING LOCATED IN REFERENCE DATA RECORDS AS OPPOSED TO BEING EXPRESSED AS DEFINITIONS OF DATA ELEMENTS.
WIDELY USED ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE, SO THESE TABLE MUST ALWAYS BE SYNCHRONIZED BETWEEN APPLICATIONS.
DIRECTLY USED IN BUSINESS LOGIC IN PROGRAMS – AS DATA VALUES, SO THIS VALUES MUST ALWAYS BE ALIGNED TO THE PROGRAM CODE.
A MAJOR SOURCE OF DATA QUALITY PROBLEMS DURING DATA ENTRY – AN ISSUE KNOWN AS “MISCODING”.
REFERENCE DATA MANAGEMENT (RDM) IS VITAL TO ALL ENTERPRISES.
At Data Millennium we provide a full range of consulting services around Reference Data. We also develop products that enable enterprises to quickly implement RDM at very low cost. Check out our Codes Centrale product for more product details
contact@datamillennium.comCONTACT OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS
Don't Hesitate To Connect With Us!
Please use this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.