[tabby title=»Performed»]
1.1 Business terms are defined for a particular purpose.
Business term definitions may be needed for a development project or an external publication.
Business terms may be defined within development project documentation. Partial glossaries may exist but within a line of business; glossaries developed for a business area may contain terms that may conflict with or overlap with terms and definitions used by another business area.
Refer to Data Lifecycle Management, which will assist in identifying all the data management activities to help develop awareness of terms and business needs across the organization.
1.2 Logical data models are created with reference to defined and approved business terms.
When standard approved business terms exist, they should be referenced to derive attribute names. This practice prevents the creation of nonstandard terms by each project e ort, and is implemented in physical data stores, project by project, and supports the objective of clarifying and improving business usage versus adding complexity. Business terms are the basis for facts (attributes) about an entity, although naming conventions and database design practices may result in altered naming (for example, the standard industry practice of ending each attribute name with a class word). For example, a business term describing a pension plan may be “Date of Plan Origination”; the corresponding logical name may be “Plan Origination Date.”
Refer to Metadata Management, which will help to identify which data is used for what purposes, as well as identify what systems and models are using the data.
Example Work Products
- Defined business terms in project documentation
- Business glossary maintained by a business unit
- Business term and logical attribute mapping.
[tabby title=»Managed»]
2.1 A process is established, documented, and followed to define, manage, use, and maintain the business glossary.
Creating the business terms process involves input from stakeholders, data governance, and business unit experts with the data management function taking the lead, sponsored by a senior executive. This will facilitate sustained participation among the multiple business units, establish shared goals and objectives, and foster agreement on the desired outcome and corresponding timeline.
Collective input and collaborative decisions are also needed to develop standards for terms, definitions, and metadata. For example, new initiatives should apply standard business terms as part of the data requirements definition process to ensure consistency of language so comparability of the content can be achieved, and data sharing is facilitated across the organization. Likewise, business glossary updates should come from the organization at large, managed through data governance.
Capturing and maintaining metadata about business terms is foundational for tracking and managing progress of the business glossary. Examples of metadata for business terms include the following:
- Term name
- Definition
- Alternative forms (synonyms, logical, physical, etc.)
- Business term details (e.g., status, security classification, creation date, etc.)
- Governance (e.g., level, owner, etc.)
- Usage (e.g., system of record, valid values, etc.)
- Business glossary
- Business glossary policy
- Business term glossary management process
- Business glossary available online
- Business glossary compliance process
- Data requirements documentation utilizing business terms
- Business terms glossary
- Mapping mechanism tracing business terms to attributes to physical data elements
- Business terms compliance process
- Policy mandating use of standard business terms
- Implemented mechanism to store and map business terms
- Compliance monitoring indicating results against the business terms process and business terms standards
- Impact assessment results
- Business terms metrics showing progress against targets Business terms noncompliance and exceptions report Business glossary update log
- Metadata repository providing a unified business terms glossary integrated with logical and physical data representations and references to industry standards
- Metrics and analysis reports
- Published exception reports, impact analyses, and remediation plans
- Business rules and ontologies associated to business terms in automated mechanism
- White papers and case studies
2.2 Standard business terms are readily available and promulgated to relevant stakeholders.
As business terms are created and approved, they should be published and promoted. Examples include email announcements of releases, and notifi- cation via the corporate portal, at a reasonable frequency. This is important for change management success. The organization may elect to roll out the process in phases, for example, by business unit for major upcoming devel- opment e orts, etc.
Refer to Data Lifecycle Management, which helps to identify all the current activities associated with data management to aid in development and management of the business glossary.
Refer to Communications, which defines a process for promulgating the standard business terms.
2.3 Each business term added to the business glossary has a unique name and unique definition.
When terms are developed from a “base term” (e.g., “Trade Price” or “Product Name”), one or more qualifying words may be added, such as “Last Trade Price” or “Short Product Name,” with a corresponding unique definition. The qualifying words and the modification to the base term definition should be approved by data governance. Where there is a prevailing industry standard to which the organization must adhere, business terms and definitions should be validated against authoritative sources.
2.4 New development, data integration, and data consolidation efforts apply standard business terms as part of the data requirements definition process.
The business terms process should include compliance process steps. In essence, this is embedding the criticality of business glossary reference into the development lifecycle. Tailoring guidance should also be created for the process (for example, the organization may choose to exempt local data stores or data stores with a limited user base).
Governance Management and the Data Management Function support this practice by establishing and managing the oversight necessary to ensure that projects are monitored for compliance with the standard business glossary.
EExample Work Products
[tabby title=»Defined»]
3.1 The organization uses the approved business glossary in the development of shared repositories, data transfer standards (e.g., XML), ontologies, semantic models, and similar initiatives involving corporate data.
3.2 Organization-wide data governance for compliance with the business glossary process is implemented and followed.
While the organization may initiate the standardization e ort for one business unit, subject area, or major project, the full value of adhering to this process will be realized over time as it is consistently applied in appropriate phases. Application of resources to compliance monitoring within the devel- opment lifecycle is required.
3.3 The organization has implemented a mechanism to facilitate transformation by mapping between business terms, attributes, and physical data element names or synonyms.
This capability may be implemented in phases, employing an enabling technology such as a metadata repository or a custom database. For maximum utility, the enabling technology should make it easy for stake- holders to view and search business glossary content.
Data Lifecycle Management helps to identify all the current activities associated with data management to aid in development and management of the business glossary.
Impact assessments are conducted, and governance approval is obtained, prior to implementing changes to business terms.
3.5 Metrics are captured and used to evaluate the organization’s progress toward a comprehensive business glossary.
Metrics are not only a gauge of progress for meeting objectives and timelines, but help to maintain enthusiasm among the many participants in the sustained glossary development e ort.
3.6 Compliance monitoring processes are used to verify correct use of business terms, highlight exceptions, and ensure they are addressed.
Compliance reports are input to remediation plans for noncompliant and exception terms. Remediation plans may coincide with a scheduled release. For business terms considered critical to the organization (for example, for a shared repository, an important standard report, a regulatory requirement, etc.), a release may be planned specifically to address this issue. Exception reports are made available to all stakeholders, including corresponding impact analysis and planned remediation activities.
Example Work Products
[tabby title=»Measured»]
4.1 Statistical and other quantitative techniques are used to manage the process and develop reporting and projections on business glossary integration for senior management.
4.2 The business glossary is integrated into the organization’s metadata repository with appropriate access permissions.
4.3 The business glossary uses standard industry business terms and definitions as appropriate.
Example Work Products
[tabby title=»Optimized»]
5.1 The business glossary is enhanced to contain associated business rules and ontology structures, and is consistent throughout the organization.
5.2 Optimization techniques are employed to improve the process of developing taxonomies, ontologies, or semantic representations leveraging the business glossary.
5.3 The organization publishes white papers and case studies addressing effective management of business terms.
Example Work Products
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