COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

TECHNICAL PROFILE

OF SEVEN DATA

bkftiBlwIKIll I

DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY

SYSTEMS

500-3

7 1^

NBS Special Publication 500-3

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards
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DEC 2 8 1978

nOrt /)CC' Ci'r c COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: 6>

Technical Profile of Seven Data Element /,7 7

Dictionary/Directory Systems ^ .

Belkis Leong-Hong and

Beatrice Marron

Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,

Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

5 NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Acting Director

Issued February 1977
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National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 500-3

Nat, Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 500-3, 45 pages (Feb. 1977) CODEN. XNBSAV

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Leong-Hong, Reikis. Technical profile of seven data element dictionary/ directory

systems. (Computer science & technology) (NBS special publication ; 500-3) Supt.ofDocs.no. : C 13.10:500-3 Bibliography: p.

1. Data base management. 2. Electron digital computers-Programming. I. Marron, B. A., joint author. II. Title. III. Series. IV.

Series: United States. National Bureau of Standards. Special publication ; 500-3. QC100.U57 no. 500-3 [QA76.9.D3] 602Ms [001.6'442] 76-58915

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PREFACE

Recognition of tne need for automated tools to manage

data has led to a variety of software products. This study

was undertaken to provide a state-of-the-art assessment of

one class of software tools, data element

dictionary/directory systems.

This report identifies data element

dictionary/directory systems and other computer facilities

by trade names as necessary to provide a descriptive characterization of their features. This in no case implies a recommendation or endorsement by the National Bureau of

Standards, nor should the presentation be construed as a certification that any system provides the indicated capabilities. The information presented was primarily obtained

from vendors' documents, and has been reviewed by each vendor for accuracy and clarity, with the authors retaining the

final technical judgement on the information included. The

report is only intended to be informative and instructive,

and not to be a competitive evaluation of systems for any

specific application. Due to the dynamic nature of the systems' features, the information presented is current only to

October 1976,

We gratefully acknowledge the excellent cooperation of

the systems vendors, both in providing information and validating the technical content of this report, we especially

appreciate the support of Dr , Dennis Fife, Chief, Computer

Science Section, NBS.

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I
CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. AUTOMATED TOOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT

OF DATA ELEMENTS 3

2.1 Background 3

2.2 Description o£ Automated Tools 6

3. DATA ELEMENT DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY 6

3«1 Characteristics of DED/D's 7

3.2 Classification of DED/D* s 9

3.3 Primary DED/D 9

3.3.1 Free-standing DED/D's 10

3.3.2 Dependent DED/D's 10

3.3.3 Primary DED/D

Implementations 10

3.3.4 DED/D Relationship to DBMS

12

3.4 Secondary DED/D 13

4. SURVEY OF COMMERCIAL DED/D's 14

4.1 Survey Methodology 14

4.2 Scope-Notes for the Feature List

15

5. SUMMARY 16

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CONTENTS (continued)

TABLES

Page

TABLE 1 Classification by Function 9

TABLE 2 List of Commercial DED/D's 11

TABLE 3 Relationship of DED/D to DBMS 12

APPENDICES

App. A Feature Analysis of Seven DED/D Systems 19

General Information 19

System Features— Hardware Environment 20

System Features— Software Environment 21

System Features— User Environment 22

Data Element Attributes 23

Report Capabilities 25

Additional Output Capabilities 26

App. B Scope-Notes for the Feature List 27

App. C Glossary of Terms 31

App. D Bibliography 33

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TECHNICAL PROFILE OF SEVEN

DATA ELEMENT DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY

SYSTEMS

Belkis Leong-Hong

and

Beatrice Marron

A Data Element Dictionary/Directory (DED/D)

is a software tool that is used to control and

manage data elements in a uniform manner. It can

serve data base administrators, systems analysts,

software designers, and programmers by providing a central repository for information about data

resources across organization and application

lines. This report describes and classifies DED/D

systems and discusses the potential benefits from

their use. A technical profile of seven

commercially-available DED/D systems is presented

with side-by-side exposition of technical

features

.

Keywords: Computer software; data base management

system; data element dictionary; data element

dictionary/directory; software tool.

1. INTRODUCTION

Data is a very valuable and sophisticated resource to

an organization, not unlike the more traditional economic

resources. Data is used to influence management decisions,

by providing the decision-makers with timely and accurate

information. Therefore, it is very important that data as a

resource be easily accessible— and it is essential that it

be properly and effectively managed.

The explosive growth of databases, both in size and

complexity, has made imperative the need for tools to aid in

centrally controlling the database definitions and accesses;

for tools to manage the growth and changes occurring in a database; and for tools to provide information to the different types of users within an organization. Data Base

Management Systems (DBMS) have been designed and used to

meet the information requirements for management of the organization.

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A recent trend, however, is to use a separate class of

automated tools for controlling/managing data elements in a uniform manner, across organizational lines. These automat*

ed tools. Data Element Dictionary/Directory (DED/D) systems,

while performing some of the same functions as the DBMS, are

different in that their main thrust is in providing control

over ALL the data resources, automated and non-automated,

within an organization.

In this report, seven commercially-available DED/D's

are identified, and their features detailed. The systems

included satisfy the following criteria:

1. The main function of the software package is to control and maintain the definitions and descriptions of

the data elements.

2. The functions of defining, describing and controlling the data elements must be an integral part of the

DED/D, i.e., it is not just a cross-referencing or report generating tool.

3. The software packages are commercially-available.

4. Documentation for the packages is available.

Time constraints did not permit a complete state-ofthe-art survey. The systems presented are among those

better known, and longer in operation. Inclusion of a system does not imply recommendation or endorsement. Similarly, omission of a system does not imply that its capabilities are less than those of an included system.

The seven systems chosen are:

DATA CATALOGUE (Synergetics Corporation)

DATA DICTIONARY (CINCOM Systems, Inc.)

DATA DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY with CMIS DATA ELEMENT

GLOSSARY (IBM)

DATAMANAGER (MSP Inc.)

DB/DC DATA DICTIONARY SYSTEM (IBM)

LEXICON (Arthur Andersen & Co.)

UCC-TEN DATA DICTIONARY/MANAGER (University Computing Co.)

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It IS hoped that this report will assist data-conscious

technologists by:

* Making them aware of the potential benefits derivable from the use of DED/D's;

* Providing at-a-glance technical characteristics of

DED/D' s;

* And by presenting descriptions of seven representative commercial systems.

2. AUTOMATED TOOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DATA ELEMENTS

In this section, a classification is given for the

several types of automated tools available for the management of data elements.

Considerable ambiguity exists in the literature with

respect to such terms as data dictionary, data directory,

data administrator, data manager, etc. One source of confusion is in the use of the same terms to refer to both the

automated function -- or software tool — and to the human

role associated with such functions, as for example, the

data administrator or the data manager. The situation is

further confused by the use of these same terms as names of

proprietary packages, for example, DATAMANAGER and DATA

DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY. (Software package names will be indicated by all upper-case letters, to distinguish them from

descriptive terms)

.

To reduce this ambiguity, a glossary of terms used

throughout this study is included as Appendix C. Whenever

possible, terms commonly used in the area of data management

are standard terms, as defined in The Amer ican National

Dictionary for Information Processing , or in other standards

documents. It may be premature at this point to standardize

the usage of all terms in the area of the management of data

elements because the field is changing so rapidly. A bibliography of relevant literature is included as Appendix D.

2.1 Backgrouna

Early design of data processing systems revolved

around specific application systems; likewise, the data was

organized so that it would be machine- and applicationspecific [23]. Thus, the data seldom crossed operational.

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functional, or organizational boundaries. This situation

resulted in multiple definition of the same data, as "independent" data files were generated — thereby creating much

redundancy, and overlap.

As the role of the computer grew within an organization, the need for system integration was evident, particularly with respect to data. The advent of Data Base Management Systems (DBMS) helped solve many of the information

problems, by organizing the data elements to which they were

applied. DBMS can be characterized as generalized software

which provides a single flexible facility for accommodating

different data files and operations, while demanding less

programming effort than conventional programming languages

[231. Although the DBMS did not fully integrate all data

resources within an organization, they helped unify many of

those resources.

The use of DBMS can provide significant advantages

[171 :

* The amount of redundancy in stored data can be reduced

* Problems of inconsistency in stored data can be

avoided;

* Stored data can be shared;

* Standards can be enforced;

* Security restrictions can be applied;

* Data integrity can be maintained;

* Conflicting requirements can be balanced.

Over the years, data resources have grown in size and

complexity. Then it was realized that not all of the data

problems within the organization were necessarily resolved

with the use of a DBMS, particularly since not all the data

is automated. The proliferation of DBMS's, with varying degrees of sophistication and specialization (23] , have

resulted in situations where more than one DBMS is in use

within a single establishment. These situations have dramatized the need for a facility that provides uniform and central control of all the data resources. The concept of centralization of control is growing in acceptance; usually the

function of centralized control is performed by the Data

Base Administrator (DBA) . The DED/D is a tool that helps

the DBA in implementing this concept.

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Many of the benefits realized from the use of a DED/D

are parallel to the ones attributed to the use of a DBMS.

However, it should be noted that while the benefits realized

from a DBMS are directly related to the effective computer

processing of the data; the benefits from a DED/D are

directly related to the effective collection, specification

and management of the total data resources of an organization.

Among the tangible benefits that can be derived from

the use of a DED/D are:

* Simple and effective control of the data elements;

* Reduction of data redundancy and inconsistency;

* Enforcement of standard usage;

* Enforcement of security safeguards and controlled

accessibility to the database;

* Determination of the impact on the total information activity from changes to data elements;

* Centralization of data elements as an aid in

design and development of new systems.

* Consistency in documentation for data elements.

In a recently conducted survey, it was determined that

80% of those responding felt that the control over the data

elements was a major advantage to the organization 133J . A

U. S. General Accounting Office Report to the Congress [56J

emphasized the need for government efforts to standardize

data elements for computer systems. Such standardization

could help reduce high cost of computer operations by eliminating unnecessary duplication and incompatibilities in

collecting, processing and disseminating data.

A Federal Information Processing Standards Task Group

has been organized to study Data Element Dictionaries. That

group is surveying the DED/D's that are operational within

the government, in a study which is parallel in scope to

the subject of this report.

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2.2 Description of Automated Tools

Automated tools for the management of data elements

provide a centralized repository of information ABOUT each

data element in order to facilitate access and control of

the database. These tools do not manage the actual content

of the data, but they do manage the descriptive characteristics of that data— i.e., its physical properties, such as

length , value range, types of admissible characters, and

validation criteria. They also control the usage of the

data elements— i.e., what person or program is allowed to

access and/or change the data elements. They further define

the relationship of the data elements with each other, and

with other components of the system. The use of automated

software tools should reduce data redundancy, assure standard usage of data elements, and maintain data integrity.

These software tools are variously called catalogs,

dictionaries, directories, and dictionary/directories. The

deciding factor about what to call the package should be the

amount and type of information that is provided the user.

The following nomenclature is suggested:

*A data "catalog" simply lists all of the elements.

* A data element "dictionary" describes each data element, i.e., tells WHAT it is,

* A data element "directory" locates each data element,

i.e., tells WHERE it is.

* A data element "dictionary/directory" describes and

locates as well as lists each data element, i.e., tells

both WHERE and WHAT it is.

Since most of the commercially-available packages are

of the Data Element Dictionary/Directory (DED/D) type,

focus will be placed on this group.

3. DATA ELEMENT DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY

The Data Element Dictionary/Directory is a software

tool that provides the means for defining and describing the

character istics of a database, as opposed to the contents of

a database. The basic features of a typical DED/D are

described below. Then, a classification is imposed on the

DED/D' s, based on the kinds of functions they perform.

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DED/D's are categorized by whether the

dictionary/directory function is the "Primary" one in their

use; or the function is "Secondary" in some other system

(e.g. a DBMS). Primary DED/D's are further classified according to whether they are "Free-standing" or "Dependent"

by implementation. Primary DED/D's are detailed, and

several implementations are discussed.

3.1 Characteristics of DED/D's

Typically, a DED/D has a set of basic characteristics:

1) It contains a unique identification, a set of

physical characteristics, and a textual description

for each of the data elements;

2) It shows the relationships of elements to each

other; and to components of the system, e.g., programs, reports.

3) It specifies the source, location, usage and

destination of the elements.

4) It has validation and redundancy-checking capabilities;

5) It contains security safeguards to control the

accessibility to the data elements;

6) It has a command language;

7) It has reporting capabilities, such as:

a) Predefined management-oriented, statistical or summary reports;

b) Ad-hoc user-defined reports;

c) Cross-reference reports;

d) Elements usage reports;

e) Audit trail reports;

f) Change-effect reports;

g) Error reports;

8) It has retrieval capabilities, such as

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keywording, indexing, and online or batch querying;

9) It has facilities for interacting with a DBMS.

The commercially-available packages have most of the

above characteristics, as well as other features that distinguish each system from the rest. For example, some systems have online interactive capabilities, and some are

preaominantly batch systems. There is considerable difference m retrieval/reporting capabilities. A popular feature

that IS implemented in several DED/D*s is the capability for

generating data divisions or data-blocks for COBOL or PL/1

programs. Other distinguishing features include the automatic generation of program documentation, and the generation of program test data. Although most of the DED/D systems surveyed are implemented for large machines, there is

at least one commercially-available DED/D that has been implemented also for a minicomputer.

The basic intent of DED/D ' s security features is to

control the access to the data elements, however, this

feature can also be used to protect the integrity of the database, as well as to enforce predetermined conventions.

Security features are present in all DED/D's, although their

extent and implementation vary from DED/D systems that provide their own security safeguards, including safeguards at

the data element level, to those DED/D systems that make use

of host system or operating system security provisions. In

most cases, there is multi-level access control: the data

administrator has the highest level of control —i.e., he has

the ultimate authority for creating, updating, deleting and

accessing all data elements-- and different levels of security are assigned to owners, and various classes of users of

the data elements.

-8-
3.2 Classification of DED/D's

DED/D's can be grouped according to whether their

dictionary/directory function is the primary one, or is

secondary. Further, primary DED/D's can be subdivided into

free-standing and dependent, according to their implementation. Table 1 presents a schematic representation of this

classification.

Software Tool 1 Function 1 Implementation

1 Primary

1 Free-standing

1 Dependent

DED/D

I Secondary 1 Dependent

1 (By definition)

Table 1

Classification by Function

3.3 Primary DED/D

A primary DED/D is a separate and distinct software

package that functions MAINLY as a tool for identifying, locating, controlling, reporting and manipulating the information about data elements in a database. It is a basic tool

within the database environment that can assist the data administrator, the systems designer/analyst, and the programmer in managing, planning, and evaluating the collection,

storage, and usage of the data resources.

The existence of primary DED/D's as separate entities,

rather than as a part of another system is a recent innovation in the area of data management. They may be implemented in such a way that they may require a DBMS to function

properly. A further subdivision of the primary DED/D's elucidates the implementation of these packages: free-standing

or dependent. It should be emphasized that both subcategories function principally as data dictionary/directory

systems, and they are different only in their

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implementation

3.3.1 Free - standing DED/D ' s . The free-standing DED/D's are

self-contained, and perform the basic functions of controlling and managing the data elements without dependence on a DBMS. However, they may use programs not specifically written for the DED/D, in order to enhance their capabilities

and performance.

A free-standing DED/D may support one or more DBMS

through the use of interfaces, achieving mutual benefit from

this association. It should be emphasized that the freestanding DED/D does not depend on the DBMS to function; however, the use of DBMS interfaces can provide the data base

administrator with a greater degree of control over the

DBMS. It IS possible for free -standing DED/D's to have interfaces to more than one DBMS, sometimes simultaneously.

Free-standing DED/D's are also known as "Generalized

DED/D's". [33 J

3._3.2^ Dependent DED/D's. The dependent DED/D's are separate

software systems that are specifically tailored to a general

purpose DBMS, and provide the DBMS with control and management of the data elements by supplying the DBMS with the

description, definition, location, and cross-references of

the constituent data elements. In turn, DBMS resources such

as file structure and access methods are made available to

the DED/D. Dependent DED/D's must perform all the functions

of free-standing DED/D's.

Because the dependent DED/D is designed and implemented

to be DBMS-specific, the portability of this type of DED/D

is restricted to installations having that particular DBMS.

_3-3._3 Pr imary DED/D Implementations . Of the seven

commercially-available primary DED/D systems included in

this report, four are free-standing, and three are dependent. Table 2 provides the names of the software packages

and the vendor's name; the implementation classification of

the DED/D; the hardware on which it is implemented; and the

operational mode of the system.

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TVPF X X 1 IT u 1 IMPLEMENTATION

OPF' R AT T ON AT MODE

DATA

CATALOGUE

(Synergetics Corporation) I

Primary | Free-standing I 1360/370 1 U1108 1 Batch

Onl ine

DATA DICTIONARY

(CINCOM SYSTEMS, Inc.) 1 Primary | Dependent | 1360/370 1 Batch

DATA DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY

with CMIS DATA ELEMENT

GLOSSARY

(IBM) 1

Primary | Free-standing

|

1360/370 1 Batch

DATAMANACER I (MSP Inc.) 1 Primary I Free-standing I 1360/370 1 Batch

Online with

TSO, CICS

and CMS

DB/DC DATA j DICTIONARY SYSTEM 1 (IBM) {Primary I Dependent I 1360/370 1 Batch

Online with

IMS/DC

LEXICON 1 (Arthur Andersen & Co.) I Primary I Free-standing 1 1360/370 1 IBM System 3 I Batch

Online with

TSO or IMS/DC

UCC-TEN DATA ! DICTIONARY/MANAGER ! Primary I Dependent I 1360/370 1 Batch

Online with

TMq/nr

Table 2

List of Commercial DED/D's

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3.3.4 DED/D Relationship to DBMS . Because DED/D's are concerned with the management of data elements, it is logical

that there should exist a strong relationship between a t DED/D and a DBMS. In fact, in this report, DED/D's are categorized as "Free-standing", with the capability to interface with a DBMS; or as "Dependent" on a DBMS.

Table 3 shows the relationship between DED/D's and

DBMS's. On the vertical axis are the seven commerciallyavailable DED/D's included in this study, and on the horizontal axis are the DBMS that the DED/D's are related to.

The entries consist of either an "I" to indicate that an

interface exists, or a "D" to indicate that the DED/D is

dependent on the given DBMS.

Data Base Management Systems

DED/D Systems j ADABAS 1 IMS 1 MARK IV 1 TOTAL I IDMS

DATA CATALOGUE 1 1 I II III

DD/D (IBM) III II

DD (CINCOM) 1 1 D 1 DATAMANAGER 1 I 1 I I 1 I 1 I DB/DC DDS 1 1 D

LEXICON 1 1 I 1 I 1 I UCC-TEN 1 1 D

Table 3

Relationship of DED/D to DBMS

(I = Interface exists; D = Dependency)

It should be noted that free-standing DED/D's can have

interfaces to more than one DBMS, as shown in Table 3.

Moreover, these interfaces can be supported simultaneously,

so that where more than one DBMS is operational, the DED/D

having multiple interfaces can generate the data definitions

for all of the DBMS's, without having to "disconnect" any of

the interfaces. The implementation of interfaces varies considerably from system to system. The variance may be due to

the way that the control blocks are generated, or it may be
m tne way tnat the DED/D supports the Dbi^lS.

Interfaces enhance the usefulness of doth the DBMS and

the DtD/D, by providing the user witn the aoility to:

1) Define the database to the DED/D, capitalizing on

DBMS resources, such as existent, well-defined file

structures and access methods;

2) Generate data element definitions for a DBMS from an

up-to-date DED/D;

3) Exercise control over the data elements of a DBMS

using DED/D facilities.

3.4 Secondary DED/D

A secondary DED/D is a software package in which the

data dictionary function exists, but is not the "raison

d'etre" of the software. Secondary DED/D's usually are embedded functions within another system; they serve as the

data and file pre-def inition mechanism, and are an integral

physical part of another system.

Among the major differeaces between a primary and a seconaary DED/D are:

1) The primary DED/D is a self-contained system,

whereas the secondary DED/D is an internal function of

another software system;

2) The reporting and retrieval capabilities are extensive for the primary DED/D, and modest for the secondary;

3) Primary DED/D's have more extensive security control over the data elements.

Since secondary DED/D's are embedded within another

system, they are necessarily oriented towards the characteristics and internal representation of that system. It is

impossible to separate their functions from those of the

software system they serve. The emphasis of this report is

on primary DED/D's; secondary DED/D's are included only to

complete the classification.

!

1

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4. SURVEY OF COMMERCIAL

DED/D'S

Several commercially-available primary DED/D's were

identified and analyzed. Details of this study are presented in this section and in Appendix A, in order to aid potential users in the appraisal of these software packages.

4.1 Survey Methodology

Seven systems were selected based on a survey of the

literature (especially 1, 8, 16, 32, 33], and on the criteria outlined earlier. The hardware on which the DED/D

systems were implemented was not a factor in the choice. It

must be reiterated that no recommendation or endorsement of

these systems is implied. This field is so new and dynamic

that new systems, and new versions of systems, are appearing

with increasing frequency. In fact, several other eligible

systems nave come to our attention too late to be included;

one selected system had to be excluded when it was withdrawn

from the marketplace.

Once the applicable systems were chosen, the vendors of

these packages were contacted, and detailed technical documentation was obtained for each system. To insure uniformity of coverage, it was deemed necessary to establish a consistent set of descriptors for system features. These

descriptors constitute the Feature List, and they are the

basis for the technical profile of the seven systems

presented side by side in Appendix A. A set of scope-notes

was developed for these descriptors, and it is included as

Appendix B.

The information used in the system descriptions was obtained from vendor documentation. In cases where the available documentation did not provide sufficient data, further

information was obtained by direct consultation with the

developers. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the data; the vendors were asked to

validate the data, and their concurrence was obtained for

the system descriptions. However, omissions and out-of-date

information are inevitable in a survey of such an extremely

active and evolutionary field as this. In all cases, only

information about operational rather than planned capabilities is included.

-14-
4.2 Scope-Notes for the Feature List

Tne Feature List is organized under the following seven

major headings:

1) General Information

Information of a general nature is included in this

section

2) System Features — Hardware Environment

Information on the hardware environment in which the

DED/D is implemented.

3) System Features— Software Environment

Information about the software requirements for the

DED/D.

4) System Features— User Environment

Information about system facilities available to the

user for definition, access, and retrieval of the

content of the DED/D.

5) Data Element Attributes

Information about the characteristics of a data element as represented in a DED/D.

6) Report Capabilities

Typical reports that can be produced by the DED/D

are listed in this section.

7) Additional Output Capabilities

Other DED/D outputs and reports are listed in this

section

It should be noted that although DED/D's can provide

control for several levels of data (data elements, groups,

files, programs, systems), this analysis concentrates on the

data element level. Each DED/D treats the various data levels differently, but there is commonality in the treatment

at the most basic level, the data element level.

The scope-notes for the Feature List are reproduced in

Appendix B, following the side-by-side descriptions of the

seven systems. It should be emphasized that the Feature

List represents an objective reporting of technical

-15-
characteristics of each system, and it is not meant to convey critical or subjective system comparisons.

5 . SUMMARY

This report identifies technical features of Data Element Dictionary/Directory (DED/D) systems, and presents a side-by-side description of seven representative

commercially-available systems. It is hoped that this

feature-list approach will aid prospective users by providing a mechanism for matching data needs against DED/D system

capabil ities

Among the major advantages of utilizing a DED/D are:

* A central, consistent source of information about

data is provided to an organization.

* Consistent and timely documentation about data

resources is provided to the manager.

* A tool for controlling and maintaining the data

resources of an organization is provided to the data

base administrator.

* A tool for database and application design is provided to the system analyst and designer.

Some disadvantages of utilizing a DED/D are: it can be

time-consuming to install; the maintenance function may require considerable effort; and there may be objection to the

formality necessitated by the DED/D.

After weighing these advantages and disadvantages in

the light of his organization's information requirements, a manager can make the decision whether or not to obtain a DED/D. If the decision is in favor of a DED/D, then he has

basically two options— he can design and implement an inhouse system, or he can purchase/lease a commercial system.

The first choice implies a high initial cost in both

time and labor. Another drawback is that such a system is

usually tailored to a specific application, and may not be

flexible and responsive to changing requirements. However,

in spite of these problems, many data managers realizing the

advantages of using a DED/D, have opted to develop their own

system when commercially-developed ones were not available

133J .

-16-
The purchase/lease option generally offers a shorter

period of time required for development of a working system.

Less manpower is usually required to install and support an

off-the-shelf package, than to develop the software from

scratch, thereby enabling better utilization of personnel

resources for problem-oriented analysis rather than detailed

coding of the DED/D system. In addition, commercial systems

are generally more versatile across applications.

Sometimes the choice of a commercial system may be influenced by the fact that a DBMS is already operational

within the organization. If there exist DED/D's tailored to

that DBMS, the manager can consider dependent or freestanding DED/D's having interface capability to that DBMS.

Choice may also be influenced by the degree of support given

a package. Of course, cost, availability, and specificity

are critical factors in the purchase/lease of a DED/D system.

Several observations can be made from this study:

* Key features of DED/D's include control at the data

element level, element usage standardization, extensive reporting capabilities, and interaction with

application programs.

* There is a strong relationship between the use of a DED/D and the use of a DBMS.

* The current implementations are largely limited to

one major equipment configuration.

* The purchase price of the systems studied ranges

from $10-15K. (This is approximately 1/4 the purchase price of a DBMS.)

* Vendor support varies from practically no support,

to full support, including the provision of a forum

for user's information exchange.

* The most common application for DED/D's has been in

industries that ha"ve a propensity for very large databases, such as manufacturing, utilities, banking,

and insurance [43,44]. However, as databases have

become larger and more complex in other industries,

DED/D's are being more widely used as a basic data

management tool [see 2, 14, 20, 29, 40, 48, 50, 59]

.

* The availability of DED/D's has facilitated the

standardization of data element definitions for

industry-wide use. One of the commercial DED/D's

provides a glossary of common manufacturing terms.

-17-
which helps m establishing uniformity in industrywide usage of data elements. An example of

profession-wide data element standardization is in

clinical medicine, where a Medical Data Elements

Lexicon [24] has been suggested for clinical medical

records.

* DED/D's are of considerable use in auditing, because

they facilitate transaction tracing, and provide

security information at the data element level.

They also aid in the development of compliance

testing and audit software [1, 9]

* The market for DED/D's has lagged the market for

DBMS, but there is growing awareness of DED/D's.

No comprehensive statistics are available on the use of

DED/D's, but one survey projects that they will be "a standard feature in almost all very large installations by 1978"

[33]. An area for future study is users' experiences with

the various systems. Another aspect for investigation is

the kind of usage of DED/D's. Information about whether such

systems are being used primarily as reporting/documentation

tools, as preprocessors for DBMS, or for change-effect projections in decision-making, can be valuable to the information systems community.

-IB-
APPENDIX A

Feature Analysis of Seven DED/^ Systems

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UCC

TEN

DATA

DICTIONARY

&

MANAGER

ALC

and

COBOL

IMS

utilities

Requires

IMS/360

or

IMS/VS

OS

and

IMS

file

structures

Single-entry

IMS

utilities

LEXICON

ALC

and

COBOL

IMS

file

definition

utilities

Interfaces

to

IDMS,

IMS,

and

TOTAL OS

file

structures;

IDMS,

IMS,

and

TOTAL

file

structures

Single-entry

IBM

utilities

DB/DC

DATA

DICTIONARY

SYSTEMS

ALC

System

Control

Programs

(SCP)

IMS/VS

or

DL/1

DOS/VS

programs Requires

IMS/VS

or

DLl

DOS/VS

IMS

file

structures

Single-entry

and

Individual

IMS

utilities

SYSTEM

FEATURES

-

SOFTWARE

ENVIRONMENT

DATAMANAGER

ALC IBM

System

routines

Interfaces

to

ADABAS,

IDMS,

IMS,

IMS/DLl,

MARK

IV,

and

TOTAL BDAM

Single-entry

DATAMANAGER

utilities

DATA

DICTIONARY/

DIRECTORY

WITH

CMIS

DATA

ELEMENT

GLOSSARY

PL/1

level

F

Interface

program

for

user

program

data

definition;

Input

stream

handler;

and

PL/1

sort /

merge

None COM

Single-entry

for

non-variable

info.

;

individual

for

variable

info.

IBM

utilities

DATA

DICTIONARY

ALC

"User-Exit"

facility

and

IBM

sort

Requires

TOTAL

TOTAL

file

structures

Single-entry

for

elements;

individual

for

aliases

IBM

and

TOTAL

utilities

DATA

CATALOGUE

ANS

COBOL

None

Interfaces

to

IMS,

IMS/DLl,

MARK

IV,

and

TOTAL ISAM,

VSAM

Single-entry

DATA

CATALOGUE

utilities

SOFTWARE PACKAGE

NAME

PROGRAMMING

LANGUAGE

USE OF

OTHER

PROGRAMS

USE OF

DBMS

FILE

STRUCTURE

FILE

UPDATE

FILE

BACKUP

AND

RECOVERY

21
UCC

TEN

DATA

DICTIONARY

6.

MANAGER

Fixed-form

;

keyword-oriented

;

3270

"menu"

Free-form

transactiondriven

Yes

Free-form

keyword;

thru

3270-

"Menu"

Yes,

thru

3270-"Menu"

1

Hard

copy

LEXICON Free-form

definition

language

(English-like)

Free-form

Report

Definition

Language

Yes

Free-form

Yes

Hard

copy

and

Microform

DB/DC

DATA

DICTIONARY

SYSTEMS

Free-form

command

language

Fixed-form

"Interactive

Display

Forms"

;

DBMS

data

Lit:

J.

J.L1

J.

t-X

ULLb

,

j

From

application

Free-form

Yes

Fixed-form

thru

"Interactive

Display

Forms"

facility

Yes,

thru

3270

"Interactive

Display

Forms"

facility

Hard

copy

USER

ENVIRO^MENT

DATAMANAGER

Free-form

definition

language

Free-form

Yes

Free-form

No

Hard

copy

and

Microform

SYSTEM

FEATURES

-

DATA

DICTIONARY/

DIRECTORY

WITH

CMIS

DATA

ELEMENT

GLOSSARY

Free-form

and

Fixed-form

("Data

Specification

Methodology");

From

application

programs

Through

"Data

Specification

Methodology"

No Not

applicable

No

Hard

copy

DATA

DICTIONARY

Fixed-form "initial

load";

Freeform

keyword-oriented

maintenance Free-form

No Not

applicable

No

Hard

copy

DATA

CATALOGUE

Fixed-form definition

language

Free-form

definition

language (

Fn

all

^h

— 1

kpi

^

*

From

application

programs

Fixed-form

and

Free-form

Yes

Free-form;

Query-throughindices

Yes,

help

command

Hard

copy

and

Microform

SOFTWARE PACKAGE

NAME

INPUT

LANGUAGE COMMAND

LANGUAGE

ONLINE

QUERIES?

ONLINE

QUERY

LANGUAGE TUTORIAL?

OUTPUT FORM

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26
APPENDIX B

SCOPE-NOTES FOR

THE FEATURE LIST OF

DATA ELEMENT DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY (DED/D) SYSTEMS

(The Feature List is designed for "yes/no" and short answers)

GENERAL INFORMATION

SOFTWARE PACKAGE NAME ; Name or acronym by which the DED/D is

known

VENDOR ; Name of the company that markets the product.

ADDRESS ; Address of the company that markets the product.

CONTACT NAME & TELEPHONE NUMBER ; Name and phone number for

further information.

PURCHASE COST; Cost for purchase of software package, or

perpetual license to use the package.

LEASE COST ; Cost for lease of software package, and period

of the lease.

MAINTENANCE COST ; Cost for service or maintenance contract,

and period of contract.

PROPRIETARY ? Proprietary status of the package.

SYSTEM FEATURES— HARDWARE ENVIRONMENT

HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION ; The primary hardware implementation

of the DED/D. (Also include other operational implementations) . OPERATING SYSTEM ; The operating system under which the DED/D

operates

CORE REQUIREMENT ; The minimum amount of memory required to

use the DED/D.

PERIPHERALS ; Peripheral equipment required to use the DED/D.

-27-
OPERATIONAL MODE ; Mode in which the DED/D operates, i.e.,

batcn or online.

RUNiMlMG ENVIROiNMEiNlT ; The "running modes of the DED/D, i.e.,

test mode or production mode.

SYSTEM FEATURES— SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ; The programming language in which the

DED/D software is written.

USE OF OTHER PROGRAMS; Note required programs not specifically written for the DED/D.

USE OF DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ( DBMS ) ; Note interfaces

to, or requirements for, a DBMS.

FILE STRUCTURE ; File structure supported by the DED/D.

FILE UPDATE ; Kind of file updating capability for the DED/D,

i.e., "Single-entry" update, (the DED/D automatically

updates every occurrence of the affected entry) , or

"individual" update, (only the specified occurrence is

updated, and other occurrences have to be updated individually) . FILE BACKUP AND RECOVERY ; Source of DED/D system backup and

recovery capabilities.

SYSTEM FEATURES — USER ENVIRONMENT

INPUT LANGUAGE ; Does the input language require fixed-form

or free-form inputs? Note other methods of input.

COMMAND LANGUAGE; Does the command language require fixedform or free-form commands? Note other methods.

ONLINE QUERIES ? Does the DED/D have online query capability?

ONLINE QUERY LANGUAGE ? Does the query language require

fixed-form or free-form queries? Note other methods.

TUTORIAL? Is there capability for tutorials, "help," or

"prompting" to guide the user?

-28-
OUTPUT FORM ; Physical form of the DED/D system output, i.e.,

hard-copy (any printed output) or microform.

DATA ELEMENT ATTRIBUTES

ELEMENT IDENTIFIER ; Provide restrictions placed on the name

of the data element (identifier or designator used for

referencing elements contained in the DED/D.)

SYNONYM ? Can a synonym (word or abbreviation) be used as a substitute for the data element identifier? Note any

restrictions

KEYWORD CAPABILITY ? Can an element be identified as a keyword?

DATA STRUCTURE ; Data Structure supported by the DED/D, i.e.,

hierarchical, network, relational.

CHARACTER TYPE ; Types of characters which can be used in the

representation of the content of data elements.

LENGTH ; Can the size or length of the representation of the

content of data elements be specified?

JUSTIFICATION ? Can justification be specified for the

representation of the content of data elements?

VALUE RANGE ? Does the DED/D provide for a range of value in

the representation of the content of data elements?

VALIDATION ; Indicate if data validation (edit) is performed

by the DED/D or by other means.

REDUNDANCY/ INCONSISTENCY CHECK ? Is there a specific feature

that identifies whether the data element is redundant

or inconsistent? Indicate whether it is a DED/D or

other facility.

DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION ? Is there a facility for defining

and/or describing a data element in narrative form?

RELATIONSHIPS ? Is there a capability for specifying the relationship of a data element to another data element or

to a higher level structure?

OWNER/ USER ? Is there a facility for indicating authorized

users (persons or programs) or owners of data elements?

-29-
SECURITY SAFEGUARDS ; Indicate if security safeguards are

provided by the DED/D or Dy other means.

REPORT CAPABILITIES

DATA DICTIONARY/DIRECTORY : Is a listing of the entire DED/D

one of the system's formal report?

MANAGEMENT- ORIENTED ; Does it produce management-oriented,

summary, and/or statistics reports?

AD-HOC: Can the user structure his own reports, on an ad-hoc

basis?

ELEMENT USAGE ; Does it produce reports that indicate where

and how the data elements are used?

CROSS-REFERENCE : Does it produce cross-reference and/or relationship reports?

KWIC OR KWOC INDICES ; Does it produce indices based on

keywora-in-context (KWIC) , or keyword-out-of -context

(KWOC)

AUDIT TRAIL; Does it produce audit trail reports?

CHANGE- EFFECT ; Does it produce reports that tell what effect

a change in data element (s) would have on the DED/D

system?

ERROR; Does it produce error reports?

ADDITIONAL OUTPUT CAPABILITIES

DATA AREAS FOR PROGRAMS? Can the DED/D produce the data

division or data blocks for user application programs?

If yes, in what language?

PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION ? Does the DED/D have the facility to

produce documentation for user application programs,

based on the data definition or description of the data

elements?

OTHER OUTPUTS ; Include here any other output/report capabilities of the DED/D.

-30-
APPENDIX C

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Automated Tool ; (See Software Tool)

Database (or Data Base) : (1) A collection of data consisting of at least one file, that is sufficient for a given purpose or for a given data processing system;

(2) A collection of data fundamental to a system or to

an enterprise.

Data Administrator : (see Data Base Administrator)

Data Base Administrator ( DBA) : A person or group of people

that has the functions of centrally managing, controlling, and organizing the database for an organization.

The responsibilities of the DBA include the control,

definition, organization, documentation, protection,

and efficiency of the database.

Data Base Management System (DBMS) : A Data Base Management

System can be characterized as a generalized software

tool that provides a single, flexible facility for accommodating different data files and operations, while

demanding less programming effort than conventional

programming languages. A DBMS facilitates operations

on data (definition, maintenance, storage, retrieval,

output) ; it facilitates reference by name rather than

by physical location; and it provides an environment

that is not tied to a particular set of application

programs or files.

Data Catalog ; A software tool used to list all of the data

elements in a database.

Data Dictionary ; (See Data Element Dictionary)

Data Dictionary/Directory ; (See Data Element

Dictionary/Directory)

Data Directory ; (See Data Element Directory)

Data Element Dictionary : A software tool used to describe

each data element, i.e., to tell "what" it is.

Data Element Dictionary/Directory (DED/D) : A software tool

used to list, describe, and locate each data element in

a database. It provides a centralized repository of

information about each data element in order to facilitate management and control of, and access to the

-31-
database.

Data Element Directory ; A software tool used to locate each

data element, i.e., to tell "where" it is.

Data Manager ; (See Data Base Administrator)

Dependent DED/D; A primary DED/D that is designed and implemented to be DBMS-specific, It uses features of the

DBMS it is tailored to, while providing the DBMS with

control and management of the data elements.

Free - standing DED/D: A self-contained DED/D that performs

the basic functions of controlling and managing the

data elements without dependence on a DBMS,

Generalized DED/D i (See Free-standing DED/D)

Pr imary DED/D: A separate and distinct software package that

functions principally as a tool for identifying, locating, controlling, reporting and manipulating the information about data elements in a database.

Secondary DED/D: A software package in which the data dictionary function exists, but is not the mam purpose of

the software, A secondary DED/D is usually embedded in

another system, and serves as the file and predefinition mechanism for that system.

Software tool: A computer program, rules, and associated documentation that assists a data processing technologist

in designing, developing, maintaining and managing data

and software.

-32-

j
APPtiviDIX D

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[ IJ Adams, Donald L,, editor, "System and Audit Aspects of

the Data Dictionary," EDPACS , vol. Ill, no. 11, May

1976 .

I 2J Albert, T.M., "Control of Logistics Data in the Defense Department," First National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 1-12.

[ 3] Army Material Command, "AMC Data Element Dictionary,"

AMCP 18-1, vol.2, January 1971, 7 pages.

[ 4] Batman, R.B., "End User Data Control," First National

Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in

Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 13-28.

I 5J Bontempo, Charles J. and David G. Swanz, " Data

Resource Management," First National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing - January 1974, pp. 29-36.

i 6J Cahill, John J., "A Dictionary/ Directory Method for

Builaing a Common MIS Data Base," Journal of Systems

Management, Novemoer 1970, pp. 23-29.

I 7J Canning, Richard G., editor, "The Current Status of

Data Management," EDP Analyzer , vol. 12, no. 2, February 1974.

[ 8J Canning, Richard G., editor, "The Data

Dictionary/Directory Function," EDP Analyzer , vol. 12,

no. 11, November 1974.

[ 9] Chick, Morey J., "The Cost of Information — An

Auditor's Viewpoint," First National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 29-36.

[10] Collard, Albert F., "A Data Dictionary Directory,"

Journal of Systems Management, June 1974, pp. 22-25.

[11] Crawford, Perry, Jr., "On the Connection Between Data

and Things in the Real World," First National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , January 1974, pp. 51-57.

-33-
[12] Crowe, Tom and J. H. Jones, "Fundamental Nature of Errors— Data Capture; and the Use of a Data Dictionary," Management Dataraatics, vol. 4 (1975) No. 3,

pages 69-73.

[13] Cuozzo, D.E., and J. F. Kurtz, "Building a Base for

Data Base: A Management Perspective," DATAMATION, October 1973, pp. 71-75.

[14] Curd, Edith F., "US Army Materiel Command (AMC) Progression From Reports Control To Data Element Management," First National Symposium on the Management of

Data Elements in Information Processing , January 1974,

pp. 59-65.

[15] Curtice, Robert M., "Some Tools for Data Base Development," DATAMATION, July 1974, pp. 102-106.

[16] DATAPRO Directory of Software , DATAPRO Research Corporation, Delran, New Jersey.

[17] Date, C.J., An Introduction to Database Systems , Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Philippines, 1975.

[18] Davis, Ruth M., "A Focus on the Role of the Data

Manager," Second National Symposium on the Management

of Data Elements in Information Processing , October

1975, pp. 57-60.

[19] Eberle, Sherron L., L. D. England, and Bernard H.

Schiff, "The Use of a Data Base Management System for

Standards Analysis," First National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 67-77.

[20] Emswiler, C.E., Jr., and C. P. Heitzler, Jr., "The

State's Model Motorist Data Base Project American National Standards Institute (ANSI) D-20," First National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in

Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 79-102.

[21] FIPS PUB 28: "Standardization of Data Elements and

Representation," December 5, 1973, 11 pages.

[22] Flynn, Robert L., "A Brief History of Data Base

Management," DATAMATION, August 1974, pp. 71-77.

[23] Fong , Elizabeth, Joseph Collica and Beatrice Marron,

"Six Data Base Management Systems: Feature Analysis

and User Experiences," NBS Technical Note no. 887,

November 1975.

-34-
[24] Gabrieli, E.R., "Semantic Coding and Data Element

Characterization in Medical Computing," Second National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in

Information Processing , October 1975, pp. 83-89.

[25] Gomes da Costa, David, "Concept of Data Resource

Management Vital to DBMS," Computerworld , September

24, 1975, p. S/12.

I2t)j GUIDE Report for the Data Base Administration Pro3ect:

"The Data Administrator: Catalyst of Corporate

Change," Draft Report, October 1, 1974, 53 pages.

[27J GUIDE Report for the Data Base Administration Project:

"The Data Base Administrator," November 3, 1972, 76

pages

[28] GUIDE Report for the GUIDE Dictionary/Directory Project: "Requirements for the Data

Dictionary/Directory Within the GUIDE/SHARE Data

Base Management System Concept," November 1, 1974. 77

pages

[29] Hegland, Robert R., "The Standard Data Element System

(STADES) for Controlling Data Elements Used in Navy

Computer Programs for the Worldwide Military Command

and Control System (WWMCCS)," First National Symposium

on the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , January 1974, pp. 213-221.

[30] Hochman, Aaron, "Principles and Concepts of Data

Resources' Management System Development," Second National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements m

Information Processing , October 1975, pp. 91-98.

[31] Huf f enberger , M.A., "The Design of Data Elements: A

Data Base Perspective," Second National Symposium on

the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , October 1975, pp. 99-112.

[32] The ICP Software Directory , International Computer

Programs, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.

[33] INPUT, "Analysis of the Market for a Generalized Data

Dictionary," INPUT market survey report, Palo Alto,

California, December 1975.

[34] Koch, H.S. and M.H. Gotterer, "An Independent Data Definition Facility for COBOL and FORTRAN," ACM-SIGFIDET

Workshop, 1972, pp. 57-66.

[35] Lee, E. K. C. and E. Y. S. Lee, "Development of Data

-35-
Dictionary/Directory Using a Data Base Management System," Second National Symposium on the Management of

Data Elements in Information Processing , October 1975,

pp. 151-162.

136] Lefkovits, Henry, Data Dictionary Systems , QED Information Sciences, Wellesley, MA, (To Be Published December 1976) .

[37] Martin, George N., "Data Dictionary/Directory System,"

Journal of Systems Management, December 1973, pp.

12-19.

[38] McEwen, Hazel E., editor. Management of Data Elements

in Information Processing , (Proceedings of a [First]

Symposium Sponsored by the American National Standards

Institute and by the National Bureau of Standards,)

National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg , MD, NTIS

No. COM 74-10700, January 1974, 474 pages.

[39] McEwen, Hazel £., editor. Management of Data Elements

in Information Processing , (Proceedings of a Second

Symposium Sponsored by the American National Standards

Institute and by the National Bureau of Standards,)

National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD, NTIS

NO. PB 249-530, October 1975.

[40] McNamee, Patricia A., "Enforcing Naming Standards

Through Use of a Data Dictionary," First National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in

Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 263-270.

[41] Nerad, Richard A., "Data Administration as the Nerve

Center of a Company's Computer Activity," Data Management, October 1973, pp. 26-31.

[42] Pan, George S., "The Characterization of Data Management Systems," Data Management, June 1971, pp. 18-23.

[43] Plagman, B. K., "An Integrated Corporate Data Base

Concept and its Application," ACM-SIGFIDET Workshop,

1972, pp. 395-419.

[44] Plagman, B.K. and G. P. Altschuler, "A Data

Dictionary/Directory System Within the Context of an

Integrated Corporate Data Base," Fall Joint Computer

Conference Proceedings, 1972, pp. 1133-1140.

[45] Pontius, James W., "The Need for Standardization of

Data Elements and Data Codes — From Origin of the Effort to Partial Fruition," First National Symposium on

the Management of Data Elements in Information

-36-
Processing , January 1974, pp. 271-276.

[46] Puente, Fernando, "Systems Design Considerations For

the US Army Materiel Command (AMC) Data Element Dictionary Directory System," Second National Symposium

on the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , October 1975, pp. 163-167.

[47] Rocke, Merle G., "The Need for Data Code Control," DATAMATION, September 1973, pp. 105-108.

148] Roberts, John, "A Data Element Directory for a State

Motor Vehicle Agency," Second National Symposium on

the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , October 1975, pp. 169-190.

[49] Shields, Curg, "An Integrated Dictionary for Systems

and Data Components," Second National Symposium on

the Management of Data Elements in Information

Processing , October 1975, pp. 191-193.

[50] SiDley, E.H., and H.H. Sayani, "Data Element Dictionaries for the Information Interface," First National Symposium on the Management of Data Elements in

Information Processing , January 1974, pp. 285-304.

[51] Simonette, Ilario, "Data Base Management System,"

Management Control, July/August 1975, pp. 102-107.

[52] Stern, Ludwig, "Contingency Planning: Why? How and

How Much?" DATAMATION, September 1974, 6 pages.

[53] Taggart, William M. Jr., "An Information Documentation

Language: A Framework for Deriving Information from

Data," Second National Symposium on the Management of

Data Elements in Information Processing , October 1975,

pp. 195-210.

[54] Thomas, D. R. , "DATAMANAGER — A Freestanding Data

Dictionary System," DATABASE Journal, vol.6, no. 5,

pp. 14-17.

[55] Uhrowczik, P.P., "Data Dictionary/Directories," IBM

Systems Journal, vol. 12, no. 4, 1973, pp. 332-350.

[56] U.S. General Accounting Office, "Emphasis Needed On

Government's Efforts To Standardize Data Elements and

Codes for Computer Systems," Report to the Congress,

May 16, 1974, 69 pages.

[57] Walker, P. D., and S. D. Catalano, "Next in MIS:

•Data Managed' System Design," Computer Decisions,

-37-
December 1969, 4 pages.

[5dj Wallis, Marvin G,, "An Information Management View of

Data Management/' Second National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , October 1975, pp. 221-230.

[59] Williams, Martha E., Scott E. Preece, and Sandra H.

Rouse, "Data Element Analysis and Use of a Relational

Data Base Structure for Mapping Bibliographic and

Numeric Data Bases," Second National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , October 1975, pp. 237-252.

[60] Wright, Arthur J., "Fundamental Tools and Techniques

Toward Evolving a Data Element Management System,"

First National Symposium on the Management of Data

Elements in Information Processing , January 1974, pp.

345-351.

[61J Young, Edith F., "Status of the Array Materiel

Command's Progression from Reports Control to Data

Element Management," Second National Symposium on the

Management of Data Elements in Information Processing , October 1975, pp. 253-256.

-38-
NBS-114A (REV. 7-73)

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. NBS SP-500-3

2. Gov't Accession

No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Technical Profile of Seven Data Element

Dictionary /Directory Systems

5. Publication Date February 1977

6. Performing Organization Code

7. AUTHOR(S)

Belkis Leong-Hong and Beatrice Marron

8. Performing Organ. Report No.

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

10'V. Prniprr riujcci//TaidbK/ st/Wnrlf "OIK Ilnir unit NniNO.

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Same as item 9

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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 76-58915

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less [actual summary of most si^iiicant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) A Data Element Dictionary /Directory (DED/D) is a software tool

that is used to control and manage data elements in a uniform manner.

It can serve data base administrators, systems analysts, software

designers, and programmers by providing a central repository for

information about data resources across organization and application

lines. This report describes and classifies DED/D systems and

discusses the potential benefits from their use. A technical profile

of seven commercially-available DED/D systems is presented with sideby-side exposition of technical features.

( 17. KEY WORDS (six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper

j| name: separated by semicolons)

I Computer software; data base management systems; data element dictionary;

data element dictionary/directory; software tool.

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