Metatopics and metadata enable advanced users to mask the more confusing technical aspects of databases for non-technical users. While data models are already simplified views of the database, they sometimes still present a challenge to novice users. This is especially true when confusing database names and complicated strategies are visible in the data model.
For most end users, the confusing aspects of query building stem from two sources:
Interactive Reporting Studio provides two solutions to deal with each of these problems. These complementary solutions can be integrated to shield company personnel from the technical aspects of the query process and make end-user querying completely intuitive:
Metatopics—Topics created from items in other topics. Metatopics are higher level topics, or “virtual topics” that simplify the data model structure and make joins transparent. A metatopic looks and behaves like any other topic and can accept modifications and metadata.
Metadata—Data about data. Typically stored in database tables, and often associated with data warehousing, metadata describes the history, content, and function of database tables, columns, and joins in understandable business terms.
Metadata is useful for overcoming the awkward names or ambiguous abbreviations often used in a database. For example, for a database table named CUST_OLD, metadata can substitute a description business name for the table, such as “Inactive Customers,” when it is viewed by the end user. Metadata may also include longer comments.
Because most business maintain their metadata on a database server, it is a potentially useful guide to the contents of the database, if it can be synchronized and used in conjunction with the data it describes.