One of the goals of Data@Chapman is to define our data. When we work with the same kind of data every day, we understand it implicitly, but it can be very difficult for others to understand it when we share it with them. Without a data dictionary, reports can be misleading or misunderstood. For example, “class” could refer to a regular meeting attended by students as part of the class schedule, or it could be a type of grouping used in finance chart fields, or it could refer to an employee’s classification related to their position. Even generally understood labels like “student” can generate confusion and require further disambiguation such as “enrolled student” or “degree-seeking student.”
Data@Chapman is building a data dictionary to help clarify Chapman’s specific vocabulary using DataCookbook. Anyone with an active Chapman account can search and view existing definitions. Experts in the various areas across our campuses can create and modify those definitions.
DataCookbook is a collaborative and on-going effort. If you find that a definition is missing or could use improvement, please get involved by contacting us at data@chapman.edu.
Do you already have resources or documentation that help explain your data to new employees or other departments? Feel free to share those with us as well.