Using Dublin Core to Build a Common Data Architecture

Abstract

The corporate world is drowning in disparate data. Data elements, field names, column names, row names, labels, metatags, etc. seem to reproduce at whim. Librarians have been battling data disparity for over a century with tools like controlled vocabularies and classification schemes. Data Administrators have been waging their own war using data dictionaries and naming conventions. Both camps have had limited success. A common data architecture bridges the gap between the worlds of tabular (structured) and nontabular (unstructured) data to provide a total solution and clear understanding of all data. Using the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set Version 1.1 and its Information Resource concept as building blocks, the Rohm and Haas Company Knowledge Center has created a common data architecture for use in the implementation of an electronic document management system (EDMS). This platform independent framework, when fully implemented, will provide the ability to create specific subsets of enterprise data on demand, enable interoperability with other internal or external systems, and reduce cycle time when migrating to the next generation tool.