Teradata Meta Data Services - Teradata Database

Teradata MDS is software that creates a repository in a Teradata Database in which metadata is stored. Teradata MDS also permits the DSS analyst to administer and navigate metadata in the warehouse. The following table describes the benefits of Teradata MDS to several user groups.

For this type of user…	Teradata MDS…
application developers	Provides a persistent store for application metadata so that developers can concentrate on developing application functions. Allows the developer to manipulate metadata with the same techniques used to manipulate other data. Provides security (MDS controls the read and write access). Allows metadata to be shared between applications. This allows integration of tools such as ordered analytical functions and data mining tools. Allows application data to be modeled around Teradata Database metadata maintained by MDS. MDS maintains the metadata so that the application is kept current with database changes.
database administrator	Provides a common repository for Teradata components. Provides a single shared copy of metadata, or a single version of the business. One copy eliminates multiple islands of redundant metadata that can cause confusion and administrative difficulties. Provides the capabilities to browse through data in the repository and to drill-down to see successive levels of detail. Shows interrelationships between different data definitions. Provides impact analysis of proposed changes.
business user	Provides the foundation for a “warehouse view” of enterprise computing. Allows business analysts to quickly determine where their data comes from, how it was changed, when it was last updated, and how the answer was determined. This greatly increases the value of the detail data and implicitly the value of the metadata. Supports third-party tools that can be used to import metadata into MDS for viewing. Supports a web browser that provides general reporting and search capabilities and shows strategic metadata relationships.