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Data Dictionary

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Database Systems

  • 94 Accesses

Synonyms

Metadata repository; System catalog

Definition

A data dictionary catalogs the definitions of data elements, data types, data flows, and other conventions that are used in an information system. Data dictionaries have been widely adopted by both (i) the database community, where a dictionary typically describes database entities, schemas, permissions, etc.; and (ii) the software development community, where a dictionary typically describes flows of information through the system. In essence, a data dictionary is a virtual database of metadata about an information system itself. A data dictionary may also be referred to as a “system catalog.”

Key Points

Understanding and managing an information system – both from a design and from an implementation point-of-view – requires some documentation of the schema, capabilities, constraints, and other descriptive features of the system. This documentation is typically embodied by a data dictionary – that is, a repository of information...

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Recommended Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    James Caverlee

Authors
  1. James Caverlee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Caverlee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Ling Liu

  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. IIT, University of Skövde, Gothia Science Park, Portalen, Box 408, 54128, Skövde, Sweden

    Manfred Jeusfeld

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

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Caverlee, J. (2016). Data Dictionary. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_903-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_903-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7993-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Computer SciencesReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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