Glossary Term

In this Article:

• Introduction
• Accessing the Glossary Term
• Adding Terms in Glossary Term
• Key Feature: Auto-Update of Linked Columns

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.

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