Metadata is data that describes other data.
Metadata in a data warehouse is similar to the data dictionary or the data catalog in a database management system. In the data dictionary, you keep the information about the logical data structures, the information about the files and addresses, the information about the indexes, and so on. The data dictionary contains data about the data in the database. Similarly, the metadata component is the data about the data in the data warehouse.
Types of Metadata
Metadata in a data warehouse fall into three major categories:
Metadata in a data warehouse is similar to the data dictionary or the data catalog in a database management system. In the data dictionary, you keep the information about the logical data structures, the information about the files and addresses, the information about the indexes, and so on. The data dictionary contains data about the data in the database. Similarly, the metadata component is the data about the data in the data warehouse.
Types of Metadata
Metadata in a data warehouse fall into three major categories:
- Operational Metadata
- Extraction and Transformation Metadata
- End-User Metadata