define reference data
Reference data refers to data that is used to categorize other data within enterprise applications and databases. Reference data includes the lookup table and code table data that is found in virtually every enterprise application, such as country codes, currency codes, and industry codes.Reference data is distinct from transactional data and master data.Transactional data is the data that is produced by transactions within applications; master data is the data that represents the key business entities that participate within transactions.eference data is a key aspect of any application integration. Today, many enterprises have no centralized enterprise governance and management over reference data.