The Role of the Data Dictionary

Source: Datamation  Date: June, 1977

This article introduced the idea of data dictionaries as a complement to the increasing ubiquitous of DBMS. The primary purpose of a data dictionary being to aid in the control of the corporate data resource, help in reducing programmer error and support the function of program documentation.

For several years, not only has it been in vogue but also considered good business practice to devote closer attention to the management of data as part of the corporate EDP function. Witness to this was the rapid emergence and acceptance of data base management systems (DBMS) as primary control software in manipulating information files. Many felt that the arrival and acceptance of data base concepts and data base management systems was the single most important happening in the data processing field since the development of operating systems.

Data dictionaries were part of this ” happening.” Altogether different types of software products from DBMS’s, data dictionaries became widely available and readily accepted as primary tools for better data management. They were used with or without DBMS’S too, as the two package types were complementary, not mutually exclusive.

A data dictionary was/is a repository of information about the definition, structure, and usage of data. It did not contain the actual data ·itself. Simply stated, the data dictionary contains the name of each data type (element), its definition (size and type), where and how it’s used, and its relationship to other data.

The purpose of such a tool was to permit better documentation, control, and management of the corporate data resource, goals which may or may not be achieved through the use of a DBMS. Advanced users of data dictionaries have found them also to be valuable tools in the exercise of project management and systems design.
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