DataStage/Workbench Table and Column Metadata Attributes

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:52 pm

Hi folks, looks like Metadata Workbench has a few predefined attributes for tables and their columns from DataStage.

For example, columns have the following default attributes in Workbench:

Column Definition Name
Description
Business Term
Data Steward
Type
Imported from Data Item
Defines DataStage Column

Are user defined attributes possible in addition to these?

Thanks,
Doug

eostic · Post by **eostic** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:19 pm

No...but I've seen scenarios where a Business Term is associated with a particular table (sometimes in a category that is established for such types of Terms) and then that Term has custom attributes.

...another way would be to have an Extension Mapping with custom attributes and map that Extension Mapping to a particular table...

Ernie

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:37 am

eostic wrote:No...but I've seen scenarios where a Business Term is associated with a particular table (sometimes in a category that is established for such types of Terms) and then that Term has custom attributes.

...another way would be to have an Extension Mapping with custom attributes and map that Extension Mapping to a particular table...

Ernie

Hi ernie, thanks again. I haven't seen much on building extension mappings. Is there a document somewhere? Is that also something done with FastTrack? I have yet to pull up that tool. I'm not sure we have it.

Regarding custom attributes, once a table is shared, there is a "Database Table User Defined Information" category. Are you familiar with it? Can it be populated somehow?

Thanks,
Doug

eostic · Post by **eostic** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:53 am

The Extension Mappings came along in release 8.1.1, about a year ago, and are in the regular documentation.....we can discuss them further here, and I also have a few entries on them in my blog (link below).

The documentation is also easily accessible on the web at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocente ... /index.jsp ...just search for "Extension Mappings" and all the sub-topics will appear.

You can most certainly create Extension Mappings via FastTrack by exporting the FastTrack Mapping and then importing it directly into Workbench.

Shared Tables, once created, can be enhanced in a lot of ways....you can edit a short and long description, qualify the table with an image, define a subject matter expert (Data Steward), add extra "Notes", assign business terms, etc...

Also, I just added a blog entry on "What are Shared Tables" that you may find interesting.

Ernie

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:20 am

Ernie, again thanks for your help.
Doug