Glossary Term

Introduction:

Glossary Term is a structured repository of business terms and definitions used to ensure consistent terminology across data assets. It supports data governance by enabling categorization, improved data searchability. This guide outlines the step-by-step process to add and manage terms efficiently.

Accessing the Glossary Term

Log in to DvSum.
Navigate to the Glossary Term tab.

Adding terms in Glossary Term

Adding single term
- Refer to the article Adding New Term for detailed steps for adding new term in the Glossary term.
Adding multiple terms
- Steps to Bulk Upload Terms:
  - Click on the "Download" option.
  - An Excel sheet containing all existing terms and their details will be downloaded.
  - Open the Excel sheet and add multiple new terms along with their details.
  - Save the updated Excel sheet.
  - Click on the "Import" option.
    - For more information on importing, refer How to import files.

Understanding Term Types

Term Type	Purpose	Typical Examples
Categorical Attribute	Stores a controlled list of categorical values for classification and standardization. These terms are subject to domain value governance.	Country, Department, Status, Product Category
Non-Categorical Attribute	Stores patterns and unique text-based identifiers. These terms are subject to data quality and masking rules for sensitive information.	Employee ID, Description, Comments, Transaction Reference
Base Measure	Stores raw, unaggregated numeric facts from source systems. These terms are subject to accuracy, completeness, and audit trail requirements.	Revenue, Quantity, Temperature, Units Sold
Date	Represents points in calendar time for time-based analysis. These terms are subject to date format standardization and time zone governance.	Order Date, Created Timestamp, Birth Date, Ship Date
Numerical	Defines purely numeric values with enforced formatting. These terms are subject to validation rules and data type governance.	Age, Price, Score, Rating, Distance
Computed Measure	Represents numeric metrics derived dynamically from other measures and/or attributes using formulas. These terms are subject to calculation logic governance, version control, and auditability.	Profit Margin (= Profit / Revenue), Year-over-Year Growth, Average Order Value (= Revenue / Order Count), Conversion Rate
Dataset	Represents a logical collection of related data organized for a specific business, analytical, or operational purpose. These terms help standardize how datasets are identified and referenced across the organization.	Customer Master Dataset, Sales Dataset, Product Dataset, Employee Dataset
Report	Represents a structured presentation of data and insights designed to support business analysis, monitoring, and decision-making. These terms help standardize report definitions and usage across the organization.	Sales Performance Report, Customer Churn Report, Financial Summary Report, Inventory Report

Key Feature of Glossary Terms

One of the powerful features of the Glossary terms in DvSum is its ability to automatically update linked columns when a change is made to a term.

How It Works:

If a term in the Business Glossary is linked to multiple tables and columns in different databases, any changes made to that term are automatically reflected across all linked columns.

For Example:

Edit the term "First Name" in the Glossary Terms.
Modify relevant details such as definition.
If a tag is added, removed, or modified on the term, all linked columns will immediately reflect the change.
Click "Save" to apply the changes.

Result:

The update is automatically reflected in all linked columns.
No manual updates are required in individual columns.

Before:

The term "First Name" has no tags assigned except "Sensitive tag".
A tag "Test" is added to the term "First Name" in the Glossary Terms.

After:
All columns linked to the term "First Name" now show the "Test" tag automatically along with the existing tag.
This eliminates the need to manually update individual columns, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

Auto Linking: Based on Name + Data Type

DvSum supports auto-linking of glossary terms to dataset columns based on:

Term Name matching the column name
Matching data type

This means that if a column name and data type match an existing term in the Glossary terms, linking happens automatically, reducing the need for manual mapping.

For example, a glossary term "Customer ID" of type String will auto-link to columns named "Customer ID" with type String in datasets.

Before and After Example

Before:

Glossary term "First Name" has only the "Sensitive tag"
Several columns are linked to this term but do not have the "Test" tag

Action:

The "Test" tag is added to the glossary term "First Name"

After:

All columns linked to "First Name" automatically inherit the "Test" tag
No changes were needed at the column level

This automated propagation maintains alignment across metadata and ensures ongoing data quality.

Linking Terms to Columns

To manually or programmatically link glossary terms to columns, refer to the article:
How to link glossary Terms

In this Article:

Introduction:

Accessing the Glossary Term

Adding terms in Glossary Term

Adding single term

Adding multiple terms

Steps to Bulk Upload Terms: