The glossary objects in detail

The Glossary's object types (Universe, Concept, Indicator, Business Term, Reference Data, Dimension, Domain) and the full set of relations between them.

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To help you structure your business knowledge, the Glossary module contains a number of object types. The chart at the end of this section gives a visual representation of their hierarchy.

Which objects can the Glossary hold?

  • Universe: a set of logically related concepts. Universes are at the top of the Glossary hierarchy, meaning they can contain all Glossary objects, including other universes.
    • Example: the name of one of your applications.
  • Concept: a general idea, the abstract representation of an object, or a set of objects with common characteristics.
    • Examples: a customer or a product.
  • Indicator: the translation of a concept or phenomenon into a number or a signal. An Indicator group is a set of indicators.
    • Example: a color code indicator can be nested under a product descriptor indicator group.
  • Term or Business term: a basic description of reality.
    • Example: a customer ID or a product ID.
  • Value or Reference data value: the individual value of a nomenclature, a piece of reference data. Multiple Values should be nested under a Reference data object, which is a nomenclature.
    • Example: madam and sir could be two separate values under a civility Reference Data.
  • Dimension: an axis of analysis, a way you can slice information. Several dimensions can be nested under a Dimension group.
    • Examples: Region, Date.

The following Glossary object is different from the ones above because it is designed to enable a matrix view. Once it has been created, it can be linked to other DataGalaxy objects (not yet migrated to this Notion knowledge base).

  • Domain or Business Domain: an operational process. Several domains can be nested under a Domain Group.
    • Examples: HR, finance, sales, after-sales, analytics, UX, and so on.
The following "Relations from the Glossary" section did not exist in the English version of this article on Freshdesk — only the French version had it. It has been translated and added here so both languages carry the same information.

Which relations start from the Glossary?

Physical links

  • is implemented by: a Concept, Dimension, Indicator Group, Dimension Group, Indicator, Reference Data or Business Term is implemented by all Dictionary objects.
  • is used by: a Field, Concept, Dimension, Equipment, Indicator Group, Dimension Group, Indicator, Reference Data, TagBase Source, Tag or Business Term is used by all objects in the Usage module.

Logical links

  • is a domain for: a Domain is a domain for all objects in the Glossary, Dictionary, Processing or Usage modules.
  • has nomenclature: a Business Term has a Reference Data for nomenclature.
  • has universe: an Algorithm, Application, Field, DataSet, Dimension, Screen, FileStore, Data Flow, Feature, Dimension Group, OpenDataSet, Process, Report, Directory, Dashboard, Data Processing, Usage or View has a Universe for universe.
  • breaks down: a Dimension breaks down an Indicator.
  • depends on: a Concept depends on a Concept.
  • is calculated by: an Indicator or Business Term is calculated by a Business Term.
  • is necessary for:
    • A Concept is necessary for a Concept.
    • A Data Flow is necessary for a Data Flow.
    • A Data Processing is necessary for a Data Processing.
  • is synonymous with:
    • An Indicator is synonymous with an Indicator.
    • A Business Term is synonymous with a Business Term.
    • A Concept is synonymous with a Concept.
    • A Dimension is synonymous with a Dimension.
  • is a system of record for: a Source or a Dictionary Model is a system of record for a Concept, Indicator Group, Indicator or Business Term.
  • generalizes:
    • A Concept generalizes a Concept.
    • A Dimension generalizes a Dimension.
    • An Indicator generalizes an Indicator.
    • A Business Term generalizes a Business Term.
  • lists the values for: a Reference Data lists the values for a Business Term.
  • participates in the calculation of:
    • An Indicator participates in the calculation of an Indicator.
    • A Business Term participates in the calculation of an Indicator.
  • groups: a Dimension groups a Concept or Business Term.
  • is broken down by dimension: an Indicator is broken down by dimension by a Dimension.
  • specializes:
    • A Concept specializes a Concept.
    • A Dimension specializes a Dimension.
    • An Indicator specializes an Indicator.
    • A Business Term specializes a Business Term.

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