Metadata
Metadata is data about other data. Since data is usually presented by a document, metadata can be defined as a document that presents data about another document. For instance, when one uploads a multimedia file up to a file-sharing system, this system issues a system document that presents data from what user account the file is uploaded, its timestamp (when it is uploaded), what is its size, what is its title, category, and other tags that the uploading user and/or the system assigned to this file, etc.
Definitions
According to the BABOK Guide (3rd edition),
- Metadata. A description of data to help understand how to use that data, either in terms of the structure and specification of the data, or the description of a specific instance of an object.
According to the CyBOK (version 1),
- Metadata. Information about data or sent along with data, e.g., the IP address, the location, or the operative system a message is sent from.
