MetadataDAMA: 7

Clarity

The ease with which data consumers can understand the metadata.

Created: 10/30/2025
Business Impact
Positive Impacts
  • •Faster and more accurate data interpretation, analysis, and usage by all stakeholders.
  • •Reduced ambiguity and miscommunication regarding data meaning, lineage, and business rules.
  • •Improved data governance, easier onboarding for new data users, and effective self-service analytics.
  • •Increased confidence and trust in data, leading to more data-driven decisions.
Negative Impacts (if poor quality)
  • •Misinterpretation of data leading to incorrect conclusions, flawed strategies, and poor business decisions.
  • •Wasted time, resources, and duplicated effort trying to understand poorly defined or undocumented data.
  • •Inconsistent data usage and reporting across the organization due to varying interpretations.
  • •Reduced trust in data and analytics, hindering adoption of data-driven culture.
Technical Description

Grade

Measurement Approach
How to measure this dimension

A grade (1-10)

Examples
Good quality vs poor quality indicators
Good Quality Examples

Logistics: Metadata clearly defines 'Dwell Time' calculation, including source systems, specific filters applied, and the unit of measure (e.g., hours).

Finance: The business glossary clearly defines 'Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)' including the formula, data sources, and assumptions.

Scientific Research: Metadata for a climate dataset thoroughly documents each variable, its units, collection methodology, and any known data quality issues.

Poor Quality Examples

Logistics: Data dictionary definition for 'TEU Factor' is ambiguous, missing, or uses highly technical jargon not understood by business users.

Finance: The metadata for a financial report column 'AdjNetRev' does not explain what adjustments were made or the source of the net revenue figure.

Scientific Research: A dataset's metadata lacks clear descriptions of experimental variables or the units of measurement used.

Local Network
Quick Stats
Dependent KPIs0
Improvement Standards0
CategoryMetadata
API Access
GET /api/dq-dimensions/651ff75b-0cd6-4809-bb83-32d21acda895