This part of the process can take time and can require multiple meetings to clear up. Even non-technical staff should understand the definitions of rows or columns, even if they refer to some other definitions in the database.Īfter this initial draft is complete, schedule time to sit with the teams and ask them if there are inconsistencies, inaccuracies, or definitions that need to be refined. Names of terms should always be written out and unabbreviated to make sure that they are universally understandable. Another way to find the definitions is by looking through annual reports, or from actual code such as SQL queries or Excel. Most teams keep this documentation in google sheets or confluence, which can make finding the definitions a tricky part of the process. To do this, the data team should pull any existing definitions from outdated documentation. Give the terms a definitionĭata teams should try to define the terms collected based on the information that they can collect on the terms. Once the terms have been collected, you should be ready to define the terms 2. After you prepare this list, ask the teams to go over their section and add any terms that you might have missed. Making a list of these definitions can help data teams standardize some of these confusing terms. Another suggestion is to categorize the similar dimensions that are repeated throughout the tables (product_id, country, year, etc.) This is helpful because it some columns could have names that are difficult to understand. For example, the marketing metrics, product metrics, operations metrics. Once you have your list of terms, you can begin grouping them by the functional unit. Additionally, Secoda automatically documents the data type, and examples of the values, additional columns in the table, owners, and a link to the report. One way a tool like Secoda can help with this stage is to use the "tag" feature to categorize which reports involve the "rides completed" and "state" terms.The teams should compile a list of these two terms. For example, a dashboard showing the rides completed by state is composed of two primary terms: "rides completed" and "state".Once teams have a good understanding of the commonly used tables and dashboards, listing out all the primary axis by charts can help to understand the term as well as the definitions. This can be done easily using Secoda, which automatically indexes the most used resources by an organization. One approach teams take is to look at a sample of the most used reports and dashboards by teams to get an understanding of the main metrics used across departments. Today, this collection could be done in a spreadsheet with a list of the business concepts. The first step data teams need to take is to collect the different terms that all departments are using to define key business definitions. Business analysts and domain experts should work together to create and maintain it throughout the lifecycle of the project. That's why a data dictionary can be one of the most valuable tools that a data team can create to deliver results.īelow are the steps and data dictionary best practice that teams need to take when creating a data dictionary: What is a data dictionary?Ī data dictionary is a living document that helps explain the context and meaning of your organization's data. And although it sounds like a simple problem, which might require a meeting to solve, aligning the business and data to remove confusion can be an extremely profound problem. 8, 2020, 6:59 AMĪll data-driven organizations experience this problem as they begin to grow their data and people. The sales team defines “number of rides per week” as the total number of riders that paid for a ride Jan.The marketing team defines the “number of rides per week” as the total number of rides that were started between Jan.The data team defines the “number of rides per week” as the total number of rides that were completed between Jan.At this company, it was very difficult to get aligned on the same metrics for “number of rides a week”. A ride-sharing company we wrote about in a previous article shared an example of the difficulties related to data definitions. Although this seems like a simple exercise, it’s very difficult to align business departments with the same definitions. A data dictionary is a list of key terms and metrics with definitions a business glossary. Simple data discovery starts with good organization and a plan to build out definition database.
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