Elementrix
Elementrix Core Capabilities
Semantic Registry (Business Glossary)
The Semantic Registry is a foundational feature that establishes a common, standardized business language across the enterprise. It allows for the creation of a centralized repository of business terms and definitions.
- Structure: It is organized into Semantic Collections (categories), which contain individual Semantics (terms). Each term includes a definition, synonyms, tags, and other metadata.
- Discoverability: By linking semantic terms to data products and their specific fields, the registry dramatically improves data discovery. Users can search for a business term like “Customer Lifetime Value” and find all related data products.
- Standardization: The platform includes pre-shipped, DAMA-aligned semantic collections for regulatory standards such as ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX, providing a strong starting point for enterprise-wide data classification.
Data Domains
Data Domains are logical groupings used to organize data products, similar to folders. They align with business functions (e.g., Finance, Marketing, Logistics) and provide a structured way to browse the data marketplace and manage ownership.
Data Products Lifecycle Management
Elementrix enforces a rigorous, governed lifecycle for every data product to ensure quality and control.
- Lifecycle States: Each product progresses through a clear set of states: Draft → Submitted for Review → Approved → Published → Deprecated → Retired.
- Defined Roles: The lifecycle is managed by distinct roles with specific responsibilities:
- Data Owner: The business or strategic owner accountable for the data product. They have final approval authority for publishing and access requests.
- Data Steward: The subject matter expert responsible for data quality, documentation, and technical oversight.
- Data Governance Office: The central team that ensures compliance with enterprise-wide policies and standards during the review process.
- Creation & Governance: The platform provides a guided, multi-step wizard for creating data products. Once a product is ready, it is submitted for a formal review by the Data Governance Office before it can be published to the marketplace by the Data Owner.
Data Ingestion and Sync Strategies
Elementrix offers flexible strategies for ingesting data and keeping products synchronized with their sources:
- Manual Creation/Upload: Users can define a schema manually or upload a JSON/CSV sample, from which the platform automatically infers the schema. This is ideal for static datasets or rapid onboarding.
- Database Connectors: The platform provides native connectors for sources like PostgreSQL and MySQL. It can import a table’s schema directly and supports real-time synchronization using Change Data Capture (CDC).
- Elementrix Staging: For unsupported data sources, data can be placed in a designated staging area (e.g., S3 bucket), from which Elementrix can ingest it.
Applications and Governed Access
Access to data products is managed through the concept of Applications.
- Consuming Entity: An “Application” represents a real-world system, tool, or digital channel that needs to consume data. Each Application is registered in Elementrix and assigned a unique API key and secret for authentication.
- Self-Service Access Request: Users can request access to a data product on behalf of an Application. The platform’s Zero-Trust model allows them to request access to only the specific fields they need and provide a business justification.
- Approval Workflow: The request is routed through a pre-defined, multi-stage approval workflow, typically involving the Data Steward, Data Owner, and potentially the Data Governance Office. This ensures every access grant is vetted and auditable.