Data and Information Inventory and Attributes

Description — The intrinsic structural form of this Data and Information type. Three valid values: Structured (machine-readable with a defined schema — relational records, CSV files, EDI transactions, JSON with enforced schema), Semi-Structured (self-describing but without a rigid schema — XML, Avro, Parquet, variable-field JSON documents), or Unstructured (no predefined schema or machine-readable structure — PDF documents, images, audio recordings, video files, email bodies, binary files). Describes the type itself, not the technical asset housing it.

Benefit(s) — Enables architectural decisions appropriate to the structural form. Structured types warrant different storage, processing, and governance patterns than Unstructured types. A single Data and Information type may appear in multiple structural forms depending on context — record the dominant or governing form.

Source — Manual.

Examples — Structured (Customer Invoice as EDI X12 transaction), Semi-Structured (Product Catalog as JSON), Unstructured (Contract Document as PDF)

Notes — Valid values: Structured | Semi-Structured | Unstructured. Structure is independent of the technical asset housing the data — a Customer Invoice is Structured whether it lives in a relational database, an S3 bucket, or a file system. The physical housing is captured in the Housing Data Stores relationship attribute.

Description — The governance category of this Data and Information type, determining its ownership model, quality standards, lifecycle characteristics, and change management requirements.

Benefit(s) — Different categories require fundamentally different governance approaches. Master Data requires a single authoritative source and strict change control. Reference Data requires broad accessibility and version management. Transactional Data requires immutability and audit trails. Metadata requires automated population and cross-system consistency.

Source — Manual.

Examples — Master Data, Reference Data, Transactional Data, Analytical Data, Operational Data, Unstructured Information, Metadata

Notes — Valid values: Master Data (core business entities — Customer, Product, Vendor, Employee), Reference Data (lookup values and classifications — Country Codes, Currency Codes, Status Values), Transactional Data (business event records — Orders, Invoices, Payments), Analytical Data (derived and aggregated — KPIs, Reports, Dashboards), Operational Data (system-generated operational records — Logs, Alerts, Metrics), Unstructured Information (documents, images, audio, video), Metadata (data about data — schemas, lineage, data quality scores).

Description — The business domain or functional area this Data and Information type belongs to. Enables domain-level data governance, ownership assignment, and portfolio analysis.

Benefit(s) — Groups related Data and Information types under a common governance umbrella. Enables the enterprise to assess data coverage, quality, and risk by domain. Domain-level analysis reveals which business areas are well-governed and which are data governance blind spots.

Source — Manual.

Examples — Finance, Customer, Product, Operations, Human Resources, Risk, Regulatory, Technology, Supply Chain, Legal

Notes — Use the enterprise’s standard domain taxonomy where one exists. If none exists, use the examples above as a starting point and extend as needed.

Sensitivity Classification

[Multi-Value]

Description — The sensitivity classifications applicable to this Data and Information type, referencing the Data Sensitivity Types Inventory. A type may carry multiple classifications simultaneously.

Benefit(s) — The most governance-critical classification attribute in this inventory. Sensitivity Classification drives encryption requirements, access control, retention policy, disposal method, regulatory compliance scope, and cross-border transfer restrictions. Without it, no data governance decision can be made responsibly.

Source — Manual.

Examples — PII; PHI; PCI; Confidential; None

Notes — Reference the Data Sensitivity Types Inventory for valid values and definitions. Separate multiple values with semicolons. None is an explicit governance statement — a type classified as None has been affirmatively assessed as carrying no sensitive data. Do not leave this attribute blank.