Meta-data is information about data. It allows business users as well as technical administrators to track the lineage of the data they are using. Meta-data provides information about where the data came from, when it was delivered, what happened to it during transport, and other descriptions can all be tracked. What can you do with meta-data? It is widely held that there are two types of meta-data: technical, or administrative meta-data, and business meta-data. Administrative meta-data includes information about such things as data source, update times and any extraction rules and cleansing routines performed on the data. Business meta-data, on the other hand, allows users to get a more clear understanding of the data on which their decisions are based. Information about calculations performed on the data date and time stamps as well as meta-data about the graphic elements of data analysis generated by front end query tools. Both types of meta-data are critical to a successful data mart or warehouse solution. How well the data warehouse replenishment solution you choose manages and integrates meta-data may affect the performance of presentation tools and the overall effectiveness of the data warehouse.

Essentially, examining meta-data enhances the end user's understanding of the data they are using. It can also facilitate valuable “what if” analysis on the impact of changing data schemas and other elements. For administrators, meta-data helps them ensure data accuracy, integrity and consistency. During data replenishment, solutions should store meta-data in tables located in the publisher and/or subscriber database, enabling companies to share meta-data among heterogeneous applications and databases. Most tools and databases manage meta-data differently. That is, they store the meta-data in distinct formats and use proprietary meta-data to perform certain tasks. An open solution allows organizations to distribute meta-data in different formats using published industry standards such as the Meta-data Coalition Standard for Meta-data Integration, Open information Model (OIM), or XML Interchange Format (XIF). Using a standards-based solution. meta-data can be easily integrated to another repository in the required format. This addresses the challenge of standardizing meta-data. Without this functionality, companies often must resort to custom development of a tool capable of entering meta-data in a variety of formats – a development task that often proves time-consuming, difficult to accomplish, and may negatively impact time to market for the business intelligence application.