Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

A statement that defines or constrains some aspect of the business as it is implemented in the data model. Data-related business rules are statements, phrased in absolute terms, about data (i.e., a telephone number must have 10 digits), and about relationships between data (i.e., if a phone number is entered, the phone type must also be entered.)

Metadata that describes a physical instance of data that describes another set of data. Clearinghouse metadata is used to describe and locate physical instances of data or software. Clearinghouse metadata can describe relational databases, data files, documents, photographs, video segments, stored sounds, software systems, applications, software components, libraries, etc. The level of granularity of the metadata may vary. In one case, the metadata may describe actual data objects. In other cases, the metadata may contain pointers to other sources or repositories of metadata. One set of metadata may list all available photographs and where to find them. The metadata describing each photograph in detail may be stored elsewhere with the actual photograph.

Data jointly owned, used, and managed by Service Center partners.

A reusable software module that encapsulates a set of behavior, hiding implementation details.

Creating applications by assembling existing components.

A collection of hardware, software, and/or firmware, which satisfies an end-use function and is designated for configuration management. (IEEE 610.12-1990) Note: This is a very broad definition. Each category encompasses all the constituent items, such as metadata, data models, etc.

A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item; audit the configuration items to verify conformance to specifications, interface control documents, and other contract requirements; control changes to configuration items and their related documentation; and record and report information needed to manage configuration items effectively, including the status of proposed changes and the implementation of status of approved changes. (IEEE 610.12-1990)

A discrete fact or value. Data is the raw material, which through its use and interpretation can provide valuable information. Data is the content of databases or data files.

The technical function of acquiring, defining, certifying, organizing, protecting, and delivering data and the metadata that describes it.

The person who defines, organize, manages, controls, protects, and standardizes data models, data elements, and other metadata.

An orderly arrangement of Service Center data resources to achieve (1) a common understanding of data resources available; (2) a planned approach to data acquisition, storage, and retrieval to achieve a high degree of responsiveness to user demands; and (3) a high degree of data sharing and data mobility to reduce program delivery costs.

A facility for advertising and distributing datasets. Metadata describing available datasets is made available to a chosen audience (i.e., the general public, partner agencies, etc.). Packaged datasets (i.e., diskettes, CDs, etc.) or online retrieval of selected subsets of data are distributed within security guidelines. There may be a charge for obtaining datasets.

A database about data and database structures. A catalog of all data elements containing names structures and information about their usage. A central location for metadata. Normally, data dictionaries are designed to store a limited set of available metadata, concentrating on the information relating to the data elements, databases, files, and programs of implemented systems.

The state that exists when data is handled as intended and is not exposed to accidental or malicious modification, destruction, or disclosure. Also, the preservation of data for its intended use.

The managerial function of taking responsibility for data and the processes that support it. It focuses the strategic planning and operational data functions (technical planning, data administration, database administration, data warehouse administration) on meeting program delivery goals.

A type of data warehouse that contains smaller subsets of data and focuses on a particular business discipline or organizational component.

A pictorial view of data, groupings of data, relationships between data groupings, or the organization of data groupings by dependencies. A "logical" data model is a view that does not depend on the characteristics of the computerized system or of the physical storage. A "physical" data model typically refines the logical model by adding the constraint incumbent to the database system or physical storage method.

A business area expert who is assigned responsibility for the data content of the database. The data steward establishes business rules, defines data elements, identifies valid data values, establishes certification standards, and establishes the completeness and availability of the data.

Any national, state, or local location where data is stored and maintained.

Applying a set of rules, comparisons, or decisions to a data element to determine if it falls within the pre-established boundaries of values for that element.

An informational database, or collection of databases, used to store shareable data. The warehouse is usually created through data extracts from operational databases. The warehouse adheres to a single enterprise data model to ensure consistency of decision-support data across the enterprise. The warehouse typically allows users to tap into an organization’s vast store of operational data to track and respond to business trends, and to facilitate forecasting and planning efforts.

A collection of related data organized to serve one or more applications. In the broader sense, it describes any organized collection of data regardless of the physical storage method.

Encompasses the day-to-day technical functions that support ongoing business operations. It includes the collecting, defining, certifying, organizing, protecting, and delivery of both data and metadata (data about data).

The person who creates, manages, controls, and protects a database.

A listing of all the valid values that can be stored in a data element.

All data owned and managed by all Service Center partners including common, shared and unique data.

See "Data Architecture." Emphasizes that the data architecture extends to the entire business enterprise of the partner Service Center agencies.

An overall pictorial view of the many applications and databases making up the participating agencies’ combined data assets. The intent is to manage the overall data assets to achieve optimal integration, sharing, access, and utilization of technology resources and infrastructure.

Information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries on the earth. This information may be derived from sources such as remote sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies. It includes both attributes (text) as well as spatial (map) data.

Metadata that describes geospatial features. Points, lines, and polygons are created in a GIS tool and have little meaning if they are not described with words. These word descriptions can include such items as a name for the feature, category (i.e. farm, field, water, wetland), creation date, crop cover, ownership, etc. There is geospatial metadata, as well, that describes large sets of geospatial data. This includes metadata that describes a complete map, or a geospatial data layer that covers a large physical area. This type of geospatial metadata is used in particular to advertise or locate maps and geospatial datasets.

A commodity derived from data through analysis or by the orderly presentation of data for human interpretation.

A database that is used by an agency organization (e.g., region, state, center, institute, etc.) but does not meet the definition of a National Database. Examples include local spreadsheets, report extracts, and PC-based databases.

Data about data. Metadata describes how, when, and by whom a particular set of data was collected, and how the data is formatted. Metadata includes attributes such as data name, length, domain of valid values, and definition. Metadata can also identify and describe a set of data or a complex data type such as a map, photograph, spatial data set, etc.

A database of information describing the characteristics (metadata) of data. Typically, the repository also stores a broad range of descriptive information, including business rules, data models, and process models that help to elaborate on the usage of data in various systems. Repositories can also store metadata for the purpose of identifying and retrieving sets of actual data. Metadata that describes a map is an example.

A permanent database that (1) has international, national, USDA, or agency-wide application, (2) is included in a standard software suite, (3) contains data that is used/shared directly in making national program decisions, or (4) is used/shared in multiple offices, states, or other internal/external organizations.

Metadata that gives data elements a name and definition, describes how the data will be stored, records relationships between data items, captures the business rules for data element and entities, describes the domain of valid data values, and identifies the caretakers of the data. It may include data models and database designs for specific application(s) where the data is used.

The development of a data model and associated specifications by analyzing existing databases and software systems by manual means, or through specialized software. This is usually done for applications that do not have a data model or specifications in existence or for which the model and specifications have become obsolete. The products of reverse engineering are used for maintenance, movement of the system to another platform, or provision of a baseline for re-design or re-engineering of the system.

Data owned and managed by a specific Service Center partner and shared by other partners.

An element or structure that has a definition acknowledged by all partner agencies.

Planning how data is acquired, stored, and used in the most efficient manner to support the agency mission.

Data owned and managed by a specific Service Center partner but not shared.