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Define metadata
Short answer
Metadata is data about data describing content, structure, origin, and meaning, stored in a repository covering schema, mappings, transformations, load history, and lineage. Example: for column sales_amt, metadata includes type DECIMAL(10,2), meaning "bill total in NPR after discount", source POS.BILL.TOTAL, daily load at 11 pm, owner Sales department.
Define Metadata with example.
Metadata is "data about data": information that describes the content, structure, origin and meaning of the data stored in a database or warehouse. In a warehouse it is kept in a metadata repository and covers the schema, source-to-target mappings, transformation rules, load history, data lineage and business definitions. It is used by ETL tools, managers and end users.
Example: For the warehouse column sales_amt: type DECIMAL(10,2); meaning "bill total in NPR after discount"; source: POS.BILL.TOTAL; loaded daily at 11 pm; owner: Sales department. This description is metadata, whereas the values (e.g. 1250.00) are data.
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