Metadata standards for data warehousing: Open information model vs. common warehouse metadata

Metadata has been identified as a key success factor in data warehouse projects. It captures all kinds of information necessary to analyse, design, build, use, and interpret the data warehouse contents. In order to spread the use of metadata, enable the interoperability between repositories, and tool integration within data warehousing architectures, a standard for metadata representation and exchange is needed. This paper considers two standards and compares them according to specific areas of interest within data warehousing. Despite their incontestable similarities, there are significant differences between the two standards which would make their unification difficult.