A lookup table contains predefined data that you can use to look up values and find matching patterns for data. Lookup tables usually contain finite non-overlapping sets of data that help you define a standard set of values for data elements.
In Metadata Command Center, you can import and publish CSV files as lookup tables that you can use in data classification and glossary association.
Lookup tables enable automatic classification of data elements through data classifications and enhance glossary association based on a predefined set of abbreviations and synonyms.
When you choose to look up values of a column in the lookup table in your data classification inclusion rule, the rule uses the column data in the lookup table to classify data.
For example, let us assume that your organization's data set contains company specific non-overlapping product IDs that follow a particular pattern. You can copy these product IDs in a CSV file, and then upload the CSV file as a lookup table in Metadata Command Center. You can then create a data classification rule using this lookup table to classify the columns in the specified data set as Product ID.
When you choose a lookup table with synonyms and abbreviations as an input in your glossary association task, CLAIRE uses the data from the lookup table to match and associate accurate glossary terms with technical assets.
For example, consider an organization where technical assets use specific naming conventions, such as TRX and DT to represent 'Transaction' and 'Date'. Without contextual information or synonym definitions, CLAIRE might misinterpret the abbreviations. For instance, TRX_ID can incorrectly match 'Transfer ID' or 'Training ID' instead of 'Transaction ID', while DT_ID can match either 'Date ID' or 'Decision Tree ID'.
To resolve this, you can add synonyms and abbreviations to a lookup table, then configure glossary association with the lookup table. The glossary association algorithm assigns higher confidence scores to the correct glossary terms, significantly improving the accuracy of automatic glossary associations. As a result, TRX explicitly maps to 'Transaction' and DT to 'Date'.
If you want to modify a lookup table, you can export it. Update the downloaded file and then re-import it.
Note: You must be a Catalog Administrator user to upload and publish lookup tables in Metadata Command Center.