Wetterlands Ranch DMF - EDMLC Data Harmonization

Data Harmonization Process

Data Harmonization is the process of “scrubbing” data to the conceptual layer using key people in the organization to make the determination which data is the “original source” or “single truth” data elements and the origins of each data element selected. The Conceptual Data Element Template is the input for this process.

The project that completes the Conceptual Data Element Template should decide if any of their data elements already exists in the Enterprise Metadata Repository by comparing the derived Object Class Names to the Object Class Name for the Conceptual Data Elements in the Enterprise Metadata Repository. Each data element on the Conceptual Data Element Template is compared and mapped to an existing Conceptual Data Element until all data elements on the Conceptual Data Element Template are mapped.

Project data elements that have no equivalent Conceptual Data Element in the Enterprise Metadata Repository are considered new Conceptual Data Elements that will be submitted to the Data Governors for inclusion in the Enterprise Metadata Repository. The project metadata attributes do not have to be the same as the metadata attributes assigned to the equivalent Conceptual Data Element represented by an Object Class Name. The project data elements are considered an alias to the Conceptual Data Element it is mapped to therefore differences in the metadata exist. If a Conceptual Data Element’s metadata in the repository is considered incorrect, by the original owner, than the updates to the metadata for the Conceptual Data Element must be submitted to the Data Governors for approval to update.

After all of the data elements in the Conceptual Data Element Template for a project have completed the Data Harmonization process, the new proposed Conceptual Data Elements and the Conceptual Data Elements with metadata changes are submitted to the group of Data Governors for discussion and approval. This is the final step of the Data Harmonization process. All approved Conceptual Data Elements or metadata changes submitted thru the Data Governance process are added to the Conceptual Metadata Repository on the date of the release cycle.