Meta data

Meta data provides an architecture or framework describing the user's data within a data environment. This architecture should provide a precise, coherent and logical structure that “paints a picture” of the data. It also should describe how the data internal to the data environment is interfaced to the external world. Satisfying the different needs of users and implementers, obtaining all the desirable qualities of meta data, while interfacing with various data systems is certainly a Herculean task for meta data. Basically, there seem to be three approaches to managing meta data: meta data bridges; meta data repositories; and intelligent software agents. One meta data repository trying to catch on is Microsoft's Repository (MDC-OIM). It uses the Open Information Model (OIM) as its base. The Meta Data Coalition (MDC) and the Object Management Group (OMG) have refined this OIM model. Both groups have also proposed it as the common standard for meta data exchange. The goal of the MDC-OIM repository is to allow creation, reuse and exchange of meta data across multiple hardware and software platforms. This includes the meta data integration of all tools, applications and databases for each individual platform