Data and Information attributes for the Data and Information Inventory - Data and Information Inventory and Attributes

Data and Information attributes for the Data and Information Inventory

(Chapter 19 of Data and Information Inventory and Attributes)

Executive Summary: Chapter Overview

IF4IT

The Bottom Line

This chapter defines attributes that describe the content characteristics, lineage, source behavior, quality expectations, and semantic meaning of Data and Information types. These attributes deepen the inventory’s ability to explain what the content represents, how it is produced, how it is consumed, and how it should be interpreted.

Core Concepts

Concept	Definition & Strategic Role
Content Semantics	Content semantics explain the meaning, business interpretation, and conceptual boundaries of a data type. They are essential for consistent use by people, systems, and AI agents.
Lineage Context	Lineage context identifies where a data type originates, how it changes, and where it flows. It supports impact analysis, trust assessment, compliance evidence, and root-cause investigation.
Quality Expectations	Quality expectations define what accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and consistency mean for the type. They give stewards a practical basis for monitoring and remediation.

Quick Q&A

Question: How do these attributes differ from basic descriptive attributes?

Answer: Basic descriptive attributes identify the record; these attributes explain the content’s deeper meaning, lineage, interpretation, and quality expectations. They help practitioners understand not just what a Data and Information type is called, but how it should be used and trusted.

Data and Information attributes capture the hierarchical taxonomy relationships between Data and Information types — the parent-child specialization structure that enables domain-level data governance.

Attribute Name

Maturity

Description and Notes

Parent Data and Information Type

Walk

Description — The Semantic ID of the broader Data and Information type of which this type is a specialization. Supports hierarchical data taxonomy within this inventory.

Benefit(s) — Enables the enterprise to govern a data taxonomy rather than a flat list. Child types inherit the governance characteristics of their parent while adding specificity. Enables roll-up analysis: the governance posture of a parent type encompasses all its children.

Source — Manual.

Examples — DAT-FIN-INVOICE (parent of DAT-FIN-AP-INVOICE and DAT-FIN-AR-INVOICE), DAT-CUST-PROFILE (parent of DAT-CUST-CONSUMER-PROFILE and DAT-CUST-BUSINESS-PROFILE)

Notes — Self-referential within the Data and Information Inventory. Root-level types (those with no parent) have no value for this attribute. Use Semantic IDs, not Display Names, to avoid ambiguity.

Child Data and Information Types

[Multi-Value]

Run

Description — The Semantic IDs of all Data and Information types that are direct specializations of this type. Inverse of Parent Data and Information Type.

Benefit(s) — Enables hierarchical navigation of the data taxonomy from any node. When a governance decision is made about a parent type, this attribute immediately surfaces all child types affected by that decision.

Source — Calculated.

Notes — Calculated from within the Data and Information Inventory itself — all records whose Parent Data and Information Type equals this record’s Semantic ID. Self-referential.

How to cite this page

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