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| Meta-Data Professional Newsletter |  | December 2005 | | |
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| The 2005 MPO Board Members
- President: Davida Berger / DebTech International
- Secretary: Diana Wild / FM Global
- Treasurer: Bill Brooks / MFS Investment Management
- Operations: Rob Dickens
- Membership: Ekkehard Schwarz
- Industry Relationships: Seth Earley / Earley and Associates
- Online Services: David Plotkin / Wells Fargo
- Newsletter: Nolan Madson / Baseline Consulting
| | MPO Membership Meeting | | | MPO Membership Meeting
Feb. 28, 2006
Sheraton, Studio City, Orlando, Fl
Join us for a membership meeting in Orlando on Feb. 28th
Meet members of the MPO and Advisory boards.
Meeting topics include: - MPO progress since formation
- Plans for 2006
- Discussion of metadata survey results on issues practitioners are facing in metadata management and how the MPO will help
- Working Group Sessions on Inexpensive Ways to Manage Metadata led by Bonnie O’Neil, recognized expert on business meta data, data architecture and business rules
The meeting will be held at the DebTech Meta-Data and Data Modeling Summit Sheraton Studio City. You do not need to attend the conference in order to attend this meeting however pre-registration for non- conference attendees is required.
For pre-registration please email
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MPO members are eligible for discounted registration to attend the conference. For conference information please visit www.debtechint. com.
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| Check Your Mailbox Soon for the 2006 MPO Survey! | | |
The MPO’s primary assets are our members. The role of the MPO board is to provide the best service for our members. The MPO would like to know more about you, what services you would like this organization to provide as well as what are your challenges in metadata management. A short survey will be emailed to you shortly.
We hope you can take the time to complete the survey. The results of this survey will be discussed at the February membership meeting.
| | Get Answers to Meta-Data Questions From Your Peers | | |
The MPO has successfully launched its online discussion group, an open forum in which members can discuss current topics, trends, and issues within the meta-data management community. Since its launch in August over 120 people have joined the discussion group. If you’ve not yet joined in the discussion, here’s a short list of topics posted in the past few weeks describing what you've missed:
Metadata governance deliverables Aligning business and IT using a metadata repository Differentiating between data management and metadata management Faceted metadata structure
Many thanks to all those who have contributed thus far. If you’ve joined and not introduced yourself, please take a moment and tell everyone who you are, what your situation is and what particular interests you have in metadata!
You can browse the discussion group postings at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mpo_discuss
| | Introductory Dues Rates End December 31, 2005 | | | To JOIN the MPO please call +1-973-379-7212 or contact Ekkehard Schwartz (VP of Membership) at membership
@metadataprofessional.org
The MPO accepts PayPal.
| | Meta-Data Industry Conferences & Events | | |
Here is a list of meta-data industry conferences and events that offer discounts to MPO members. - • February 27 - March 1, 2006 (Orlando, Fl) ~ DebTech International presents the 2006 Meta- Data and Data Modeling Summit ~ www.debtechint. com
- • February 28 – March 2 (London, UK) IRM UK presents Zachman Enterprise Architecture Series, John Zachman and Stan Lock www.irmuk.co.uk
- • March 9 –March 16 (London UK) IRM UK presents Peter Aiken - Information Architecture, XML and Data Management, Practical Metadata Strategies www.irmuk.co.uk
Call for Papers
7th Annual European Enterprise Architecture Conference June 12-14, 2006 London, UK http://www.irmuk.co.uk/eac2005
| | Special Discounts for MPO Members | | |
MPO has negotiated the following vendor discounts: | | Feature Article: Meta-Data Strategy | | | by Anne Marie Smith
Traditional systems development and implementation has focused on processes, rather than on data as the foundation of the enterprise. A data orientation represents a major cultural change. It is not only a change in the way an organization delivers systems, it also implies a new way of perceiving, accessing and respecting the evolving asset of information by the business community.
The movement toward data orientation is akin to fighting a gravitational force; the opposition can be overwhelming, since many members of the IS community were not taught the fundamental importance of data and the corresponding importance of the meaning of that data. Data is much more stable than process or organization. Success in developing a data orientation requires strong change agents and a set of carefully orchestrated plans. Sometimes, developing a true data orientation requires a reengineering of the IS and business organizations to explain and enforce the collection, management and understanding of the meaning of the data used and stored by the company’s applications.
The development of a data warehouse frequently is the catalyst for recognizing meta-data's importance in the enterprise and the need for developing a uniform approach to meta-data management. Many data warehouse and coordinated data mart development projects include the creation and implementation of a meta-data “strategy” to assist in the collection and usage of data across the organization.
Meta-data is "data about data". It is the collection of information about the data collected in an application or database. Examples of meta-data include: definition of the data element, business names of the element, systems abbreviations for that element, the data type (alphanumeric, decimal, etc.) and size of the element, source location, etc. All of these pieces of meta-data are of interest to various members of the company’s community, some are of interest only to certain IS staff members, while other pieces would be very useful for business people attempting to navigate through the corporate Data Warehouse or across and through various company/business level data marts. This navigation is possible once the company has identified and documented its meta- data for all appropriate applications in formats useable by business staff and technical staff (different formats are necessary since business people need different types of meta-data from the technical staff).
A Meta-data strategy can assist in the achievement of the goals of data orientation by providing a focus for sharing the data assets of an organization. It offers recognition to the value of data and its components and usage within and throughout the organization. A Meta-data Strategy can provide a map for managing the expanding requirements for information that the business places upon the IS environment. A Meta-data Strategy highlights the importance of a central data administration department for organizations who are concerned about data quality, integrity and reuse. Finally, development and implementation of a Meta-data Strategy enables an organization to begin to measure the value of the information assets under their control. The purchase or development of a meta- data storage facility, often called a “repository” associated with the data warehouse or data marts can be an impetus for the creation and implementation of a meta-data strategy.
Recently, many companies have embarked upon a strategic plan to redesign their systems environment, now that the issues associated with the millennium change have been addressed successfully. This plan may include the customization of a systems development and implementation methodology, and could result in providing a data/meta-data orientation for effective understanding of the business’ data resource. One way to ensure the success of this new orientation is to develop and implement a meta-data strategy. This strategy will advise the IS and business communities in how to view and use the data that the company captures and stores, turning data into information and knowledge.
The components of a Meta-data Strategy could include: - Organizational meanings of “meta-data” and its role in the organization
- Decision how meta-data would be used in the organization
- Data Stewardship
- Data Ownership
- Decision who would use what meta-data and why
- Business definitions and names
- Systems definitions and names
- CASE models and element relationships
- Element sources and targets (programs, files, databases, etc.)
- Determine training requirements
- Business
- Systems
- Identify sources of meta-data (CASE tools, existing databases and files, paper documentation)
- Determine the quality of the meta-data sources (absolute, relative, historical, etc.)
- Determine methods to consolidate meta-data from multiple sources
- Identify where meta-data will be stored (central, distributed, both)
- Evaluate the meta-data products and their capabilities (repository, CASE dictionary, warehouse manager)
- Determine responsibility for:
* Capturing
* establishing standards and procedures
* maintaining and securing the meta-data
* proper use, quality control and meta-data update procedures
* Establish meta-data standards and procedures
* Naming standards (abbreviations, class words, code values, etc.)
* CASE modeling standards
* Meta-data Committee (roles and activities)
- Determine if the meta-data storage will be active or passive
- Determine the physical requirements of the meta-data storage
- Measure the use and effectiveness of the meta-data
A Meta-data Strategy is often one of the first steps undertaken during the development of an Information Strategic Plan (ISP). As part of an ISP, a Meta-data Strategy details what meta-data is important to this organization, why it is important, how the meta-data will be captured and stored and used (by technical and business staff) – all at a strategic level. Further refinements of this strategy will be the work of the Meta-data Committee, also created by the ISP.
The Meta-data Committee, comprised of business data stewards and members of the Information Resource Management function (data analysts, database analysts), is the group that is responsible for implementing the concepts outlined in the ISP Meta-data Strategy. This team decides what order will be used to fulfill the requirements in the strategy and the content of the list above. Frequently, Meta-data committees use consultants to assist them in the initial phases of meta-data development, and to transfer knowledge of specific areas or tools as appropriate.
Enterprise or corporate data models often serve as one of the first discovery areas for meta-data management, and the development of data warehouses or data marts is cited as one of the main reasons companies adopt a meta-data strategy – to better understand the data that is resident in their systems and to make more efficient use of that data as a corporate resource. With the resurgence of the data warehousing approach to business intelligence, the importance of meta-data is growing continually.
The development and implementation of an effective Meta-data Strategy enables a company to make better use of the data assets it controls, produces applications and other systems that address the true information needs of the business community IS serves. and promulgates the importance of data for the benefit of the company. Meta-data can be called “the foundation” of an organization’s success in realizing the potential value of its data and information, to achieve competitive advantage.
© Anne Marie Smith 2005
Anne Marie Smith is a consultant in information resource management, IS strategic planning, project management, systems analysis and design, business process improvement, data warehousing and related areas. She has been an assistant professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA, and has taught courses in her areas of expertise to many companies as a corporate trainer. Anne Marie is active in the local chapter of DAMA and serves on the Board of Directors of DAMA International. She is also a member of the local chapter of the Association of Business Process Management Professionals. Anne Marie writes for The Data Administration Newsletter and other IS publications and has reviewed many text and reference books in her areas of expertise. She is also an advisor to the DM Forum.
Anne Marie holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's of Business Administration, both from LaSalle University; she earned a Ph.D. in MIS at Northcentral University.
Anne Marie can be reached at
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and http://www.annemariesmith.com | | |
| | | What is the Meta-Data Professional Organization?
The Meta-Data Professional Organization (MPO) is a non-profit, international professional association comprised of business and IT professionals in all areas of meta-data practice, including administrators, developers, architects and managers. The MPO brings together individuals with interests, expertise, or hands-on experience in meta-data use from all areas of private and public enterprise throughout the world and seeks to disseminate technical and professional information to meta-data practitioners of all levels of experience. The MPO provides meta-data professionals with a community that fosters discussion, advancement and increased understanding of meta-data as it is applied in the field. Are You Ready
to Join the MPO ? The Meta-Data Professional Organization is actively seeking both companies and individuals to join its membership. We encourage you to join the MPO today and start reaping the benefits! Members will gain: • one-stop shopping for meta-data research and resources
• network with other meta-data professionals in your own or other fields
• access Members-Only web content
• read or be referred to Articles of Interest on meta- data
• interact on Discussion Groups
• monthly Email Newsletter
• special "MPO Member Discounts" on seminars, conferences, & other events Currently the MPO is offering an introductory dues structure that is good until December 31st, 2005.
• Individual (one person) ~ $50 annually
• Corporate (unlimited) ~ $175 annually
• Student ~ $10 annually
If there are more than 4 individuals in your organization, we recommend a Corporate Membership, which allows an unlimited number of people within your organization to join. Student Memberships are offered to students currently enrolled at any accredited educational institution. All memberships are renewed annually, with fees due on the anniversary of the membership start date. MPO MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ~ calling all Meta-Data Mentors!
One of the goals of the MPO is to provide an environment conducive to sharing experiences with each other. If you are interested in sharing your meta-data knowledge and experience with others, please email us at membership
@metadataprofessional.org
Stay Tuned: details regarding the mentor program will be posted (soon) on our website! |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 26 February 2008 )
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