Metadata Repository Is a Database

¶ … metadata repository is a database used to manage vital component of the Enterprise Data Management. The metadata repository is the technique of managing and recording data within the large-scale environment. The metadata is also used to create, store, gather and distribute contextual information for the business organization. On the other hand, repository is a vital component of storing information, which includes the reusable artifacts. Typically, artifacts are the source code, special purpose model and document which assists in querying the information.

Repository provides the strategy of querying the metadata and information artifacts according to specific criteria. Repository could store the metadata to reveal where specific artifacts could be reached, accessed or invoked. Typically, the repository that stores user-de-ned metadata on artifacts is termed as a metadata repository. On the other hand, repository that provides metadata model is called metadata repository. (Mayr, Zdun, & Dustdar 2009). Typically, metadata is traditionally found within the library card catalogue.

With the development of it (Information Technology), metadata is used to describe digital data, which uses metadata for a specific discipline. A metadata repository manipulates and governs the general attributes and specification of business data. Within the contemporary business environment where organizations store large volume of business data, metadata repository is an effective tool that could be used to physically store and catalogue metadata. The metadata stored within the database needs to be generic, current, historical and integrated.

The major reason for using metadata repository is that database and DBMS (database management system) have their repositories application that provides all necessary functionality that could be used to access data within the database. While OLAP tools, data-cleansing tools, ETL tools, DBMS dictionaries, and data mining tools store and handle data differently, the metadata repository is the only database tool that could store metadata components for these tools.

(Marco & Jennings 2004).The aim of metadata repository are: to assist in the creation of CFR (case report form ) and make data models easier. to improve the quality of data models and CRFs to harmonize value and variables lists to support mapping of data and metadata. The objective of this paper is to explore the metadata repository. Evaluation of Metadata Repository A metadata repository specifically stores data and ensures the consistence of metadata. When using metadata repository appropriately, it could allow data to be stored within the specific website.

In the contemporary business environment, data have become invaluable assets that organizations use to enhance comparative market advantages. Financial health of an organization depends on the method the organizations effectively utilize data resources. With the increase in the development of technology, organizations have placed more emphasizes on the framework and methodology data are being used, stored and accessed. Metadata provides the technique the data are being used effectively. Typically, metadata is often being categorized as technical or business data.

Business metadata describes taxonomies of data based on the business rules and common vocabularies, and this assists in aligning data with the business context. On the other hand, technical metadata provides the techniques data are being stored which also include the attributes, nomenclature, domains, movement and consumption rules related to the metadata. The bottom line is that metadata becomes the context to enhance meaningfulness of data.

While metadata assists in the storing of data, metadata repository is an effective method to store data as well as enhancing the significant method data could be cataloged, index and searched. Typically, metadata repository facilitates the method of exploiting data profitably, and metadata repository facilitates the strategy corporate organizations index, search, and catalogue as well as protecting and enhancing easy access to data for effective and efficient use. (Marco 2000). Stausberg et al. (2009) argue that metadata repository could support bottom up approach as well as top-down approach.

The funding organization, research network or national agencies could use top-down approach to distribute standard and variable collection s as well as collecting variable terminologies. More importantly, a metadata repository could use bottom-up approach for single project to maintain specific variables as well as combining the local variables within the international standard. Typically, Stausberg et al.

(2009) identify eight usefulness of metadata repository: Facilitating the creation of CFR (case report form) as well as improving the quality of data model and CFR Maintain metadata, which assists in specifying a catalogue of variables and a CRF. Metadata repository assists in importing metadata as well as establishing a pool of metadata. Metadata repository also assists in mapping metadata that enhances the transformation of data from one model to the other. It also supports the pooling of data as well as enhancing the queries of multiple metadata.

To assist in selecting the projects covering various variables. Metadata repository also harmonizes value and variable list of metadata. Harmonization of database and CRFs. Assist in improving standards in order to identify the terminologies and data standard. Despite the usefulness of metadata repository, Ochoa et al. (2009) argue that the main functionality of metadata repository can affect the quality of metadata. For example, a data indexed "Lesson 1 -- Course IT20," without the keywords or description will face challenges in appearing in the search materials.

Moreover, the metadata repository could be easily compromised with the low-quality metadata. For example, the outdated or incorrect information about the URL could prevent the easy access of the object. Thus, quality and usefulness of metadata repository is correlated with the quality of metadata, which describes the resources. Due to the importance of metadata for the quality of metadata repository, assurance of the quality of data is an integral part of the cataloging.

More importantly, the implementation of metadata repository depends on whether the metadata has been created by expert in the field. The study provides the strategy to design and implement the metadata repository to enhance greater understanding on the effectiveness and efficiency of metadata repository. To enhance functionality of the metadata repository, the paper provides the design and implementation of metadata repository. Design and Implementation of Metadata Repository The paper discusses the process and tool to design the metadata repository. The Table 1 reveals the format and document specification of metadata repository.

Table 1: Document Specification Kind Description First-Class Entities Entities, which include the fields and their properties or tables. Second-Class Entities Data objects that are embedded within entities Field types Type of properties shared by many entities and fields Visual forms This display tables, fields, toolbars and buttons.

Form layouts Orderings, screen coordinates,, and customization options Query definitions Types of attributes and queries that can be queried Messages Warnings, errors, and other user messages Menus Popup menus, menu actions, and combo-boxes Interfaces Formats and fields received and sent from other systems Transactions Entities, parameters involved in recording, locked, and processing Capabilities Functional mechanisms which data entities could support This paper employs reusable architectural decision for designing the repository metadata.

The architectural decision for designing the software architecture is a set of designing phase that takes the numerous decision of organization into the consideration. The main argument of architectural decision is to capture the selected justification for designing objectives. However, an architect may not be able to identify all the problems associated with architectural decision model due to the lack of documentation. To address the problem associated with designing of repository metadata, this study provides a reusable architectural decision model for designing of repository metadata.

The advantages of using this approach are that it provides the easier method of creating the repository metadata. (Mayr, Zdun, & Dustdar, 2009). The XML database is used to design the repository metadata and the Table 2 reveals designing statement to build the repository metadata. Table 2: Architectural Decision to design a Repository Database Designing Step Decision 1 Select Repository Technology This is the first decision, which the basic technology is used to design the repository.

Depending on the amounts of metadata that would be stored, the XML database specifies the standard relational database to use in designing the database. 2 Select XML to NXD Mapping An architect could select between a text-based approach and an XSD model-based approach for the XML database. 3 Select XML to RDBMS (Relational Database Management) Mapping The process guides an architect to follow up an important decision when he chooses an RDMBS. The process guides an architect to map the database using the XML document.

An architect could also use an XSD model mapping or a domain model mapping to map the XML document. 4 Select XML to File Mapping To achieve file storage solution, an architect could decide to select among the 3 basic mapping alternatives, which are a simple text-based approach, a XSD model-based, and a domain model-based approach. 5 Select Repository Type This depends on the important decision drives, which include data categorization and searching capabilities.

An architect can decide to choose a Metadata Repository, a Model Repository, or combination of a Metadata or Model Repository. 6 Select Support for Metamodel This step involves the storing of model that an architect should decide upon. The model storage involves selecting the Model and Metadata Repository or Model Repository. An architect could also choose a Metamodel, which specify the elements of the model to be stored.

7 Select Modeling Levels to be Stored within the Repository An Architect should select the modeling levels, which include source code, models, runnable code and model instances to be stored in a Metadata Repository, Model Repository or a Model. 8 Select Metadata Types With reference to the Metadata Repository, a Model to be used, an architect could select a model-independent metadata, which include security data, version information, ownership, and affiliations. 9 Select types of Version Metadata An option to follow this decision involves selecting necessary metadata types, which include an adequate version granularity.

Versioning could be either settle on model element level or on the model. 10 Select Change Log of Metadata Types With reference to the decision of selecting version metadata, an architect needs to decide whether to add change log metadata to either the model element of the model level. 11 Select types of Security Metadata An Architect could choose among several security options. An architect needs to choose mechanisms to protect the whole repository.

12 Select Life Cycle of the Metadata Types An Architects can choose a life cycle manager which can determine if a requested action could be allowed on the current state 13 Select Association.