A methodology for the design of data dictionaries

The data dictionary of an organization is the integrated repository of all types of data produced, managed, exchanged, and maintained in the organization, represented in such a way as to allow all users of the information system to understand their meaning. Since the way in which data are represented is usually dependent on the application domain, that is, the DBMS used, the role of the responsible organization unit, that is, designing and maintaining a dictionary, is a challenging task. A methodology is discussed for data dictionary design; several structuring mechanisms are proposed for use in the representation of data in the dictionary. A strategy is provided to produce the dictionary according to such mechanisms