A database catalog of a
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...
instance consists of
metadata
Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive ...
in which definitions of
database objects such as
base tables,
views (virtual
tables),
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
,
value ranges,
indexes
Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (A Certain Magical Index), Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, a ...
,
users, and user groups are stored. It is an
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
product that documents the database's content and
data quality.
Standards
The
SQL standard specifies a uniform means to access the catalog, called the
INFORMATION_SCHEMA, but not all
databases follow this, even if they implement other aspects of the SQL standard. For an example of database-specific
metadata
Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive ...
access methods, see
Oracle metadata.
See also
*
Data dictionary
A data dictionary, or metadata repository, as defined in the ''IBM Dictionary of Computing'', is a "centralized repository of information about data such as meaning, relationships to other data, origin, usage, and format". ''Oracle Corporation, ...
*
Data lineage
*
Data Catalog Vocabulary, a W3C standard for metadata
*
Metadata registry
A metadata registry is a central location in an organization where metadata definitions are stored and maintained in a controlled method.
A metadata repository is the database where metadata is stored. The registry also adds relationships with ...
, central location where metadata definitions are stored and maintained
*
Metadata repository, a database created to store metadata
References
Database theory
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