To be successful in analytics, a business should deploy a platform solution that employs a metadata layer. Today, there are a plethora of options. Making a decision can appear to be daunting and complex. But when it comes down to it, there’s no comparison to metadata advantages in a centralized, object-oriented architecture. The key to success deals with reusability, scalability, efficient management, centralized administration, and a single source of the truth which metadata can provide. All those and more can be achieved with a centralized, object-oriented metadata architecture.
Efficient Management
A centralized metadata repository means everything can be stored and found in one place. This one place creates a single source of the truth and allows for the bringing of multiple sources together to be analyzed in one spot. Data from different sources that usually cannot be analyzed together, can be combined and linked through a metadata layer to bring the business useful analysis. Centralized metadata also facilitates the maintenance and administration of that environment since it’s all in one location/repository. Everything is treated as an object which allows flexibility and almost unlimited administrative capabilities controlling every aspect of the metadata.
Security and Governance
Having a centralized metadata repository makes securing and governing the data from multiple sources an easier task. An object-oriented architecture allows for tremendous control at all levels of the data since everything is treated as an object. This includes reports, dashboards, and configurations. Placing security on folders, KPIs, reports, dashboards, users or even creating security filters gives the business ease of mind that its data is secure and only viewable by the desired business users.
Scalability and Reusability
When the metadata is centralized, it becomes the single source of the truth. Once a metadata object is created and defined, it can be used over and over based on the security definitions given to the object. Different departments can use metadata objects with confidence that the data will match with what other departments are reporting as well. Not only does this help businesses avoid mismatches and issues with data analysis and reporting but it also reduces redundancy and unnecessary use of space.
Cost and Time
It goes without mentioning that when you save time, you save money. Having the metadata centralized requires less personnel and time to manage, therefore bringing down costs. Maintenance is always a nightmare but having so much control in just one metadata repository makes the task less time-consuming. Centralizing the data reduces the headache of dealing with inaccurate analysis that requires time and effort to track down and resolve.
Conclusion
The advantages of metadata in a centralized, object-oriented architecture for an analysis platform is too beneficial to ignore. Not only does it simplify the management of the metadata but also saves time and money. There are plenty of solutions out there. I ‘ve tried quite a few, but the one solution that covers every advantage and does it well, is MicroStrategy. In my opinion, it’s the most complete and feature-packed solution out there. I highly recommend any business interested in an enterprise analytics solution to take a look at MicroStrategy.
