A data dictionary is a critical document for managing a computer database, providing a detailed map of each file item and table, including field names, types, and descriptions. It also defines format rules, constraints, and data integrity rules, making it necessary for legacy databases and non-intuitive designs. The dictionary helps future developers understand the system and modify it for future improvements. It should detail the size, type, and expected values of each field and define any relationships with other data items. It should also document which fields are required.
A computer database is a digital file system that maintains information critical to a business. A data dictionary is a detailed data map of each file item and table within the database. This map is considered a catalog of data that includes every table name, field name, field type, and a general description of all items within the database.
The data dictionary is one of the most critical documents for a computer application. Provides a general description of the data content within the database. It also defines format rules, constraints, and data integrity rules. Without this dictionary, future changes to the application may become impossible.
Many legacy software applications have an archaic database design. This is due to the physical limitations of databases designed many decades ago. Due to field name size constraints, many names are abbreviated and not very intuitive. A data dictionary is a necessity for managing legacy databases.
Unfortunately, there is no formal control process for database design. It is typically the development team’s responsibility to implement best practices when building a database. Many inexperienced developers can define column names with generic descriptions. This generic naming convention is an extremely unintuitive and poor practice, which can lead to an unmanageable database.
A data dictionary can help with non-intuitive database design. This dictionary will detail each field name and metadata, with a description of how the data is used. Having this dictionary can help future developers determine how best to modify the system for future improvements.
A database consists of tables and field names. Table is a file that contains information about a specific type of data. An example of a table would be a person table. The people table would have field names to include first, last and middle names. The data dictionary is the document that defines the details about each field within the database tables.
The data dictionary is similar to a catalog system within a library. Each table is a document as a specific unit with detailed definition of field names within the table. The definition should include the size, type, and expected values of the fields. It should also define any relationships the table may have with other data items within the database.
A required field is a data item that must always be filled in before the application allows saving data to the file system. Not all data are considered mandatory fields. The data dictionary should also document which fields are required. This helps the future development team understand the rules embedded in the database.
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