CIA Metadata Strategy and Design 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metadata element is MOST critical for supporting data lineage tracking in an enterprise data warehouse?
- Data owner name
- Source system identifier and transformation history (Correct answer)
- Creation timestamp
- Record count
Correct answer: Source system identifier and transformation history
Source system identifier combined with transformation history enables tracing data from origin through all processing steps, which is the foundation of data lineage.
Question 2: An organization wants to implement a federated metadata repository. What is the PRIMARY advantage of this approach over a centralized repository?
- Lower total cost of ownership
- Faster metadata retrieval speeds
- Allows domains to maintain local control while sharing a unified view (Correct answer)
- Eliminates the need for metadata standards
Correct answer: Allows domains to maintain local control while sharing a unified view
Federated repositories enable domain autonomy and local governance while still providing an integrated enterprise view through shared standards.
Question 3: What does the term 'metadata harvesting' refer to in the context of metadata management?
- Manually entering metadata into a catalog
- Automatically extracting metadata from source systems and assets (Correct answer)
- Archiving outdated metadata records
- Exporting metadata for regulatory reporting
Correct answer: Automatically extracting metadata from source systems and assets
Metadata harvesting is the automated process of discovering and extracting metadata from source systems, databases, and data assets.
Question 4: In Dublin Core metadata standard, which element is used to describe the topic or subject matter of a resource?
- dc:type
- dc:coverage
- dc:subject (Correct answer)
- dc:relation
Correct answer: dc:subject
The dc:subject element in Dublin Core is used to describe the topic, keywords, or classification of the resource's intellectual content.
Question 5: A metadata architect is designing a system where metadata must describe other metadata records. This is an example of:
- Structural metadata
- Descriptive metadata
- Meta-metadata (Correct answer)
- Administrative metadata
Correct answer: Meta-metadata
Meta-metadata (metadata about metadata) captures provenance, version, and quality information about the metadata records themselves.
Question 6: Which approach BEST supports metadata reuse across multiple business domains in an enterprise?
- Creating domain-specific metadata schemas with no cross-domain mapping
- Developing a canonical metadata model with domain extensions (Correct answer)
- Allowing each domain to define metadata independently
- Using free-text descriptions for all metadata elements
Correct answer: Developing a canonical metadata model with domain extensions
A canonical metadata model provides a shared foundation that all domains can extend, enabling reuse while accommodating domain-specific needs.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a metadata registry in an enterprise architecture?
- To store actual business data alongside its descriptions
- To provide a centralized authoritative source for metadata definitions and standards (Correct answer)
- To replace the need for a data catalog
- To manage user access to data assets only
Correct answer: To provide a centralized authoritative source for metadata definitions and standards
A metadata registry serves as the authoritative source for agreed-upon definitions, data element specifications, and metadata standards across the enterprise.
CIA Metadata Strategy and Design 2
Which metadata element is MOST critical for supporting data lineage tracking in an enterprise data warehouse?