Business Glossary - A Deep Dive

Business Glossary

A business glossary is a collection of data terms described in clear and understandable language to everyone within an organization. It ensures consistency in communication by eliminating ambiguity in business terminology. Glossary terms can be linked to data objects, enabling experienced analysts to examine data assets contextually. Additionally, these terms can be used to categorize data objects and enforce data security policies.

Business Glossary Terms can be associated with cataloged data objects that include:

• Schema
• Tables
• Table Columns
• Files
• File Columns
• Report
• Report Columns
• Codes
• API 
• API Attributes

When business glossary terms are linked with Cataloged data objects, the term provides additional context and meaning to the data objects. Business terms serve a dual purpose of defining data objects and applying security policies to the data. This includes restricting access, masking sensitive information, and organizing data objects by classification (e.g., confidentiality or sensitivity). Additionally, governance roles can be established to ensure the quality of data objects.

Exploring the Tree & List Views

The Tree View simplifies finding related terms within a specific domain by displaying a hierarchical structure of domains, categories, subcategories, and terms on the left panel. The Quick View provides a snapshot of domain, category, or term details based on your selection.

The List View makes filtering, searching, and sorting terms easy. Its simple interface lets users access term status, tags, associated projects, classifications, and Governance roles. Authorized users can also make bulk updates to selected terms.

 

Term Status - Published / Draft

A new term will initially be in draft status. In the draft status, term details, including properties, object associations, classifications, and term relationships, can be curated and edited by users with domain privileges (Meta-Write access). Once the term is published, the details are fixed and cannot be edited. The term must be published for the term properties (Glossary-Catalog Sync Options) to be applied to the associated data objects.

Publishing a Term

By default, all Governance Roles (Owner, Custodian, Steward, and Governance Roles 4, 5, & 6) have the authority to publish a term. However, the admin can now configure the system setting businessglossary.term.publish to specify which Governance Role(s) have the authority to publish terms.

Navigate to Administration > System Settings > Others and search with the key (businessglossary.term.publish). Select the Value (Governance Role(s)) and click Save to update the configuration.

Term Attributes

Each Term has a detailed page that clearly explains a term's definition, usage, associations, relationships, and properties. Below are the details of each attribute explained in detail:

• Term Summary Details
• Manage Data Association Preferences
• Term Data Object Associations
• Tags
• Top Users
• Classifications
• Term Relationships

Term Summary Details

Term Description

Each term has two key descriptions that help users understand the term's meaning and purpose.

• Business Description: This provides the core definition or context of the term. 
• Detailed Description: It is an extension of the Business Description, which provides additional information about the term, including any formulas, technical information,  images, etc.

• Top Users: It displays a list of active users who have engaged with the term, including the number of views. By default, the owner, steward, custodian, and other governance roles (if configured) are displayed at the top right of the page. Other users interacting with the term are listed based on their activity count, such as commenting, endorsement, etc.
  
  Here's how the scoring works:
  
  • When a user accesses the term page, the user view score is increased by one.
  • When users add comments to the term, their comment score increases by one.

• Endorsement Rating: Endorsements help users build trust in a term based on how other users have perceived it. It is the collective average of all the ratings given by different users. Users can endorse a term by assigning a star rating. The score increases by 1 for a one-star rating and 5 for a five-star rating.  
  
• Add to Project: Users can choose to include terms in a default project, transforming it into a collaborative workspace where teams or groups collaborate to enhance term content and quality according to evolving business needs. This space facilitates tracking activity progress and managing tasks efficiently.
• Catalog Details: It displays the count of data objects (Tables, files, reports, columns) associated with the term.

• Configure Search Keywords: Configure search keywords, which are search keywords added to data objects to help find them easily. Any user can add a keyword to a tag, and each keyword gets a score based on who added it or voted for it.

• • When an admin adds a keyword, it gets a base score of three. Three additional points are added if the admin also votes for the keyword.
  • If a non-admin adds a keyword, it starts with a score of one. An extra point is added if the non-admin also votes for the keyword.
  • Keywords need a minimum score of three to be considered for "Global Search," which highlights data stories associated with these keywords.

• Add to My Watchlist: By adding a term to the watchlist, users will be notified whenever a change occurs in the term. 

• Popularity: The Popularity Score can be a useful metric for understanding how widely a term is used among a group of users. It is a score calculated based on the number of times users interact with the term by viewing, endorsing, commenting, and adding tags to it. The table below displays the listed actions and their respective impacts on the popularity score. Some actions increase popularity, while others decrease it, and some have no effect.

Action	Popularity Score
Navigate to the term summary page	+ 1
Add a comment	+ 1
Endorsement Rating (5-star rating)	Based on the star rating, the Endorsement Rating increases by 1 for a one-star rating and 5 for a five-star rating.
Add Tag	+ 4

 

• Created By/ Created Date: It displays the users who suggested or created the term, and the date and time it was created.
• Published By: It displays the username of the user who has published the term from draft status to publish status.
• Published On: It displays the date and time on which the term is published.
• Last Modified Date: It displays the date and time of the last modification made to the term attributes, such as business description, detailed description, tags, custom fields, and other related information. 
• Service Request Count: It displays the total number of service requests raised on the term.
• Version: Versioning refers to the number of times the term is revised from the initial draft to its publication. Every time it gets published, the version number increments by 1.

• Download Term Details: Users can download term details in XLS format.

• Clone Term: Users can now clone any existing term, which will be created in the same domain but not linked to any specific category or subcategory. The cloned term will inherit the following metadata: Business Description, Detailed Description, Tags, Custom Fields, Related Objects, Classification, and Policies.
  

Manage Data Association Preferences

A Term created within a specific domain automatically inherits all of the domain's properties, which can be customized on a term's detail page based on individual preferences.

This enhances the controllability of data objects by enabling the following:

• Context Enhancement: It copies titles/descriptions to the catalog objects, giving more context.
• Security Measures: It masks/restricts data, keeping it confidential.
• Classification: It categorizes data based on confidentiality, sensitivity, or groups.  
• Governance Roles: It copies and overrides existing Steward/Custodian/Owner on the catalog objects to supervise term quality and content.
  

The data association options include:

• Copy Title to Catalog: It replaces a data object's original title with that of the associated term name, simplifying data discovery and standardization. 

• Copy Business Description to Catalog: It replaces a data object's original business description with that of the associated term, providing more context for understanding. 
• Masked: This hides the real-time data in a table column or file column. The user can set masking schemes in the Term Summary Page. In the absence of masking, default masking will be applied to the data object.
• Restricted: It can enhance overall data security by limiting access to data objects, such as table columns, file columns, etc. Only authorized roles will have access to the data objects and can perform actions based on their assigned permissions.
  
  Note: If a published term is moved to the draft state, Restriction and Masking policies remain in place to prevent sensitive information exposure during the transition.
• Copy Steward / Custodian / Owner / Governance Role 4,5,6  to Catalog:  It transfers the Governance role to the associated data object. The assigned Governance Role will oversee and maintain the content and quality of the data object, and assist data consumers in resolving any issues related to the respective data object.
• Show Classification in Catalog: The classifications set at the term level will be applied to the catalog data objects associated with the term, and they will be displayed on the respective summary page of the data objects. This classification system helps categorize and find data objects based on classification, i.e., confidentiality or sensitivity. 

Term - Data Object Associations

Business Glossary Terms can be linked with cataloged data objects like Schemas, Tables, Table Columns, Reports, Report Columns, Files, File Columns, APIs, and API Attributes. These terms extend their properties to enhance the context and security of the data objects through the Glossary-Catalog Sync options. 

Terms can be associated with data objects through three methods:

• Manual Association
• AI Recommendations
• LMDF

Manual: Users can manually associate a term with multiple data objects.

Through the Term Summary page > Associated Objects tab                   

Through Data Catalog via 9-dots 

AI Recommendations: Term suggestions can be generated to identify relevant data objects linked with the current term across the entire data ecosystem. These suggestions consider factors like name, data, and pattern of the data object, including the Smart Score.  This approach simplifies linking terms to data objects by recommending potential data object matches. Users can "approve" or "reject" these suggestions, reducing the manual effort to identify and link terms to data objects.

LMDF (Load Metadata from Files): The term can be associated with data objects via LMDF. Users can download the Business Glossary LMDF Template with data/without data and mention the data object details where they want the term to be associated.

Associated Tags 

Tags serve as a systematic and logical method for grouping relevant terms. This grouping makes it easy to find and locate terms. Users can utilize tags to filter and narrow down their search, helping them identify relevant terms more easily. 

Term References 

References display a list of links or mentions made to this specific term from other catalog objects (Tables, Files, Reports)  or governance Objects (Terms, Tags,  Data Stories, etc.). The "@" notation is used in text fields within the application, such as the Business Description, Technical Description, Endorsement Rating, Collaboration, Projects - Notes, and Data Stories fields, to make these references.

This makes it easy for users to understand how the term is used throughout the system and can quickly navigate to those objects for more details. It's a simple way to ensure users always know where a term is referenced.

Governance Roles 

Governance stakeholders are crucial in ensuring the quality and consistency of term attributes within the Business Glossary. They are the subject matter experts in their respective domains and are responsible for curating the terms and addressing any concerns that arise as our business evolves and undergoes changes.

By default, each term at the domain level will have governance roles, including Owner, Steward, Custodian, and additional Governance Roles 4, 5, and 6 (if configured). At the term level, stewards have the ability to modify/update the governance roles, ensuring that individuals with the right expertise handle each term appropriately. The significant advantage here is that users can update governance roles for individual terms without affecting the broader domain configuration.

Term Classifications

Classifications categorize data objects based on their importance, ensuring that information is handled or protected appropriately. This helps users identify sensitive or restricted data. Security and Governance Admin can set classifications like "PII," "Privacy," "Sensitive," "Internal," "Public," and others at the domain level. 

These default classifications apply to all terms within the domain and inherit associated data objects. If the classifications are not set at the domain level, they won't appear at the term level. 

 

Term Relationships

Term Relationships are the links that a specific term has with other terms and data objects in the ecosystem. These relationships serve as a road map for understanding how a term is connected to other terms or data objects. This makes it easy for users to find relevant information, explore and understand the related terms, and gain valuable insights into the interconnections within the data and business concepts. 

It helps identify synonymous or related terms, which is important for data quality and lineage tracking. 

Synonym Relationship

A synonym relationship signifies that two terms, Eg, "Medical Practitioner" and "Healthcare Provider," share the same meaning and are interchangeable. When users establish a synonym relationship, they can use either term to refer to the same concept. Thus, data associated with "Medical Practitioner" or "Healthcare Provider" can be governed similarly because these terms represent identical concepts.

Related Relationship

Conversely, a related relationship like the one between "Car" and "Gasoline" indicates that these terms are connected or associated in some way, but they are not synonyms. When users explore the "Car" term, they might want to understand its connection to "Gasoline" because cars often use gasoline as fuel. However, it is crucial to note that "Car" and "Gasoline" have distinct meanings and are not interchangeable. The interconnected relationship helps users grasp the associations between different concepts for a more comprehensive understanding. 

Listed below are the different relation types OvalEdge supports

Relationship Type	Description
Contains	"Contains" is a relational term denoting that Term1 encompasses or includes Term2, indicating a hierarchical or compositional relationship between the two entities. This relationship implies that Term2 is a constituent or part of Term1. Example: Folder "Contains" Documents
Is Contained in	The "Is Contained In" relationship between a term and a data object (table) signifies that the term is part of or included within the content of the table. In other words, the table holds data or information that involves or relates to the specified term. Example: Folder "Is Contained in" Drive
Is related to	Establishes a general connection between the term and the data object, highlighting a shared association. Example: Customer "Is related to" Consumer
Is synonym to	Links the term and data object as synonyms, signifying interchangeable usage and meaning. Example: Software Developer "Is synonym to" Programmer
Calculates	Depicts that the term derives the value for a data object or another term.  Example: Selling price calculates Profits
Calculates from	Denote a connection where data or values are derived through systematic computations, allowing for precise analysis and informed decision-making. Example: Profit is calculated from the selling price and cost price
Replaced by	Demonstrates that the term has been  replaced by the referenced data object. Example: Traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs)  Replaced by Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Replaced from	Indicates that the term has replaced the referenced data object in usage or significance. Examples: Manual Data Entry "Replaced from" Automated Data Integration
Filtered by	Specifies that the term is influenced or affected by the filtering process of the data object. Example: Candidates "Filtered by" Qualifications
Filters	Specifies that the term influences or filters another term or a data object from a larger set. Example: Patient "Filters" Healthcare Provider
Is before	Details chronological or sequential relationships between the term and data object. Example: Research "Is before" Publication
Is after	Details chronological or sequential relationships between the term and data object. Example: Launch "Is After" Development
duplicates	Highlights that the term shares identical or overlapping content with the referenced data object. Example: Customer Data duplicates Customer Info
defines	This indicates that the term defines or is a component of another term's or related object's definition. Example: Algorithm defines Step-by-step procedure
Contrasts with	This indicates that the term has a different meaning, which is opposite to another term or data object.
Is a type of	This indicates that the term belongs to the same family as its related terms or data objects. Example: Python "Is a type of" Programming Language
Has types	This indicates that the term has different types of itself, and those types are the related objects. Example: Electronic Device "Has types" Smartphone, Laptop, Tablet
Is of	This indicates that the term is a member of another term or a data object. Example: iOS is of Apple
Qualifies	This indicates that the term recognizes another term or a data object through certain criteria. Example: Candidate "Qualifies" for a Job Position
Is qualified by	This indicates that the term is recognized by another term or a data object through certain criteria. Example: Candidate "Is qualified by" Experience

Term Relationship Diagram 

Term Relationship Diagram displays a term's relations with other terms and data objects within the ecosystem. In this diagram, the term in the center is surrounded by related terms and objects, connected by lines to illustrate the relationships. The diagram essentially functions as a map to explore and understand how a term relates to other data objects or terms. Users can easily search and filter information to find what they need, like specific terms or relationship types or in-depth analysis of interconnected objects.

Extending Attributes via Custom Fields

Custom fields offer a means to include extra term information or details not covered by standard term attributes on the Term details page. Users can create custom fields for text, code, numbers, and dates to enhance searchability and data usefulness. These custom fields can be configured globally for all domains or specific domains. 

When custom fields are created for a specific domain, terms linked to that domain will display the additional fields in the respective summary page within the Business Glossary.

No additional fields will be displayed in the absence of global or domain-specific custom fields.

Collaboration

Collaboration functionality is enabled on every term summary page to encourage users involved in data analysis, projects, or quality assurance to communicate. It facilitates targeted discussions and participation and maintains the quality of terms.

Metadata Curation Score

The metadata curation score assesses metadata quality, completeness, and accuracy for object types and terms. For Terms, Metadata Curation score will be calculated based on:

1. Business description
   1. Max points: 15
   2. Less than 50 words - 0
   3. Contains 50-100 words - 10 points
   4. Contains more than 100 words - 15 points
2. Detailed description
   1. Max points - 15
   2. Less than 50 words - 0
   3. Contains 50-100 words - 10 points
   4. Contains more than 100 words - 15 points
3. Custom Fields are not null - 15 points
4. If custom fields are not configured - 15 points
5. Owner and Steward are not system administrators - 5 points
6. Has at least one Associated Data - 10 points
7. Has at least one Related Object - 10 points
8. Has at least one Manage Associations - 10 points
9. Has at least one classification selected - 10 points
10. Has it been Published at least once - 10 points

The following are the thresholds range for color coding:

• Red: <25%
  
• Yellow: 25% - 75%
  
• Green: >75%
  

AI Settings

Users can run a "Regular Expression" (E.g., hello. *) to find the required data pattern of objects associated with a Term. Users must add the required data pattern and AI boost score to boost the smart score when the regex matches.

Configure AI Recommendation Keywords 

Users can configure Keywords/Synonyms for the term. This will help during the AI recommendation. 

The data object matching term name and the synonym/configured keyword would be recommended. 

Example: The Term “Customer” is curated in the Business Glossary. Stakeholders can configure AI recommendation Keywords for this term like Client, Customer_name, prospectus etc to get recommendations for the data object matching these keywords 

System Settings

System settings help configure the Business glossary-related application settings to meet your requirements. These settings include a comprehensive range of options covering interface customization, AI-related configurations, and enabling or disabling specific buttons or parameters.  

These settings allow users to customize parameters that control the application's behaviour.  Users can enable, disable, or modify default values. These configurations can affect various aspects of the application's behaviour, including how it integrates with other systems, changes its appearance, and performs certain tasks. It is important to carefully consider and set these configurations to ensure that the application functions properly and meets the requirements of its intended use.

Key	Description
Ovaledge.domain.creator (In Users & Role)	Assign domain creator privileges to Roles. Parameters: The default value is OE_ADMIN. Click on the field and define the roles you wish to assign to a Key.
ovaledge.term.policy	Specify the maximum number of approvers (excluding the admin user) to approve recommendations on a Term. Parameters: The default value is 3. Enter the value in the field provided.
object.terms.maxcount	Configure the maximum number of auxiliary terms that can be applied to a data object. Parameters: The default value is set to 20. Enter the value in the field provided.
bg.unique.constraint	To create Terms with the same names under different categories and sub-categories of the same domain. Parameters: The default value is set to Domain. Enter the values (domain, category, subcategory) in the field provided
ordertyperetrieve.default.classification	Empty To view data object columns for specified Term- Classification. Parameters: The default value is empty. Enter the classifications names in the field provided.
oef.domain.category	Specify the format for logs that contain personally identifiable information (PII). Parameters: The default value is set to domain.category to include information about the domain and category in the log entry. Enter the value in the field provided.
term.catalogoption.enable	This allows to display multiple Term Association options under the Manage Data Association section in the Term summary page. Parameters: The default Value: YYNNNNNNYYY, which likely indicates that all of the available options are displayed by default. To change the display of these options, users can enterY or N in the respective position of the configuration string. If a user entersY in a particular position, the corresponding option will be displayed. If a user enters N in a particular position, the corresponding option will not be displayed and will be invisible to the user. Below is the order: 1.Copy title to catalog 2.Copy business description to catalog 3.Copy Steward to catalog 4.Copy Custodian to catalog 5.Copy Owner to catalog 6.Copy GovernanceRole4 to catalog 7.Copy GovernanceRole5 to catalog 8.Copy GovernanceRole6 to catalog 9.Restricted 10.Masked 11.Show classification in catalog
term.association.count	This configuration allows setting a threshold for term-data object associations during the transition of terms from draft to published status. Its purpose is to enhance system performance, particularly when dealing with terms linked to numerous data objects. For example, if the threshold is set at 30, it triggers an advanced job when a term is moved to Published status with 31 or more data object associations. Conversely, if there are 29 or fewer term-object associations, the system manages status changes conventionally. Parameters: Enter the threshold value in the field provided.
glossary.associations.view	Configure to display either Published Terms or Terms in both Published & Draft status in the drop-down options when associating terms to data objects. Parameters: The default value is set to False. If set to True, only published terms will be displayed in the drop-down when adding terms to data objects. If set to False, terms in both published and draft status are displayed in the drop-down when adding terms to data objects.
show.draft.terms.to.viewers	This setting enables a toggle button in the Business Glossary to toggle and display both Draft / Published terms in the Tree View and List View of the Business Glossary. Parameters: The default value is set to 'True'. If set to 'True, it allows viewers to switch the toggle between published and draft terms. In the list view, the term status filter can be used to distinguish between draft and published terms. If set to 'False' it restricts viewers from seeing draft terms in both tree and list views.
businessglossary.term.publish	Business Glossary Terms Governance roles mentioned here would have the authority to directly publish terms through the term summary page. The roles are specific to terms and NOT the Domain category or subcategory.

Change Management on Terms

Who can perform change management?

Governance stakeholders [Owner, Custodian, Owner, Governance Roles 4,5,6 (if configured)] and the authorized users with Meta-Write privileges on the domain can change the Term details within the Business Glossary.

Business users holding Meta-Read permissions can initiate the creation of new terms, and modification of any existing terms by raising a service request that undergoes an approval workflow. Once approved, the terms are created and integrated into the glossary. Furthermore, if Viewer users wish to suggest content changes for a term, content change requests can be raised that follow an approval workflow, ensuring that modifications are carried out if they meet the validation criteria.

Changing Domain of a Term

Changing the domain for a term allows users to keep the Business Glossary terms updated and aligned with the evolving business dynamics.  Moreover, it significantly improves the findability of terms, allowing users to quickly locate relevant terms based on their specific areas of interest and focus.

Changing Category / Subcategory of a Term

Moving a term to a different category enables users to navigate and access relevant terms. Placing terms in the most appropriate category helps users understand the term's context more accurately.  It is essential to ensure that these terms belong to the same domain before migrating to a different category. To switch categories within a different domain, move the term to the desired domain (List View of Business Glossary), then adjust its category accordingly.

Updating Governance Roles at Term Level

The default governance roles set at the domain level automatically apply to the terms created within that domain. Additionally, users can modify the governance roles at the term level, ensuring that individuals with the right expertise handle each term appropriately. The advantage here is that users can update governance roles for individual terms without affecting the broader domain configuration.

Term Deletion

In a specific domain where terms are created, the Stewards have the authority to delete terms. Deleting a term involves removing all connections between the term and associated data objects. When a term is deleted, the initial link between the term and data becomes void, and associated properties like classifications, descriptions, titles, and governance roles are also removed from the data objects.

Change Management through LMDF & APIs

Load Metadata from Files - Business Glossary 

Load Metadata from Files is another essential feature in OvalEdge that allows users to manually create and perform bulk updates on terms within any domain. This includes modifying term descriptions, associations with data objects, term relationships, and Glossary-Catalog Sync Options like applying masking, restriction, updating governance roles, and more. Users can achieve this by downloading a template, making the necessary updates, and then uploading it back into the application. The automated process ensures that the business glossary terms are updated with all the required changes.

APIs- Business Glossary

OvalEdge offers a set of API services for managing business glossary terms. Below are some of the business glossary  API services offered by OvalEdge. 

• POST API - Allows adding new terms to the business glossary and associating terms with data objects.
• GET API - To retrieve and view term or domain details and associated object details, enabling access to critical information for better decision-making and understanding.
• DELETE API - To delete terms or remove data objects associated with a term.

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