How to edit Data Catalog metadata: Tags & Categories

Data Catalog

In this section We will explore the features of the Data Catalog metadata. With this feature you can use Denodo Data Catalog to add tags and categories to views, as well as update the view and field descriptions.

In our example we are going to: (1) add descriptions to the client fields, to allow more specific discovery of this view, (2) add tags and categories and (3) apply them to our client view.

 

Data Catalog Metadata

A useful feature of the Data Catalog is the ability to display view metadata, such as the View Description, as well as the Field Descriptions. Let's see how to modufy that information.

 

Editing View and Field Descriptions

1. Navigate to the Summary page of the Client View and click Edit.
   
   
2. Add the appropriate descriptions to the View description field and the field descriptions.
   
3. Click Save.
   
   
4. The view now displays the added descriptions. These descriptions are saved in the Data Catalog metadata. (Note: It is recommended to synchronize the metadata with the Virtual DataPort server inorder to keep the Data Catalog synchronized. You have to use the option Administration > Synchronize with VDP Server.

   Please note that you can synchronize the Virtual DataPort server metadata changes in Data Catalog but the Tags & Categories created in Data Catalog cannot be synchronized with the Virtual DataPort Server.

   

 

Adding Categories and Tags to the Data Catalog metadata

Tags & Categories are useful to allow users to search with more accuracy through the Data Catalog. While the amount of Data Sources and Views is small in our tutorial, it will pay off over the long term to maintain good Categorization and Tagging habits to allow users to navigate the Data Catalog more easily.

 

Adding Categories

1. Navigate to Administration > Catalog Management > Categories.
   
2. Click the + icon.
   
3. Create a category with the following details:
   • Name: Customer
   • Description: Data sources relating to customer
   • Parent: /
   
   
4. Create another category with the following details:
   • Name: CRM
   • Description: Acme_crm System
   • Parent: /Customer
   
   
5. Create a final category with the following details:
   • Name: Billing
   • Description: Customer Billing
   • Parent: /Customer
   
   

We now have a useful set of categories to link to our Views.

 

Adding Tags

1. Navigate to Administration > Catalog Management > Tags.
   
2. Click the + icon and create a new Tag with the following details:
   • Name: JDBC
   • Description: JDBC data sources
   
   
3. Create another tag with the following details:
   • Name: SOAP
   • Description: SOAP Data Sources
   
   

We now have a useful set of tags to link to our Views.

 

Modify views for adding Categories and Tags

1. We can now navigate to the Client view and click Edit:
   
2. Click Add more next to the Categories.
   
3. Click CRM and then click Save.
   
4. Now select Add More next to Tags, and select #JDBC. Click Save.
   
5. We have now added this view to the Customer > CRM category and have tagged it with the #JDBC tag.
   
   
6. Click Save.
   

Using Tags & Categories

Returning to the Search page, when we search the Data Catalog and include the Tags and Categories elements, they will be included as part of the search results.

Let us test this by searching for JDBC:

The results include the tag #JDBC! And if we click on the tag, we will be taken to all the views that are tagged #JDBC.

We have now seen how the effective use of the Descriptions, Categories and Tags can enable powerful data exploration.

 

Tutorial Conclusion

In this tutorial we have only had a limited number of Views, Data Sources, Tags and Categories, but it is clear that through the use of the Data Catalog, business users will be able to explore the companies data and easily and quickly, with minimal overhead on the IT team!

Thanks!