A column called "temp"
An analyst gets a file with a column called temp and the numbers 18, 22 and 29.
Is it degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit? Which room? Which day? Who measured it? The numbers cannot say. Extra data that answers those questions is what this lesson is about.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Metadata | Data that describes other data. | File size |
| Context | Facts that explain what data is and where it is from. | Who made it, and when |
| Property | One named fact about a file or item. | Owner: sam |
| Timestamp | A record of the date and time something happened. | 2026-10-28 14:32 |
| Data dictionary | A list that explains each column: its name, type, unit and meaning. | temp: whole number, degrees Celsius |
| Search | To look for items that match. | Find files owned by sam |
| Personal data | Data about a person who can be identified. | A name |
| Database | An organised store of data in tables. | A sales system |
| Header | Extra facts placed at the start of a file or message. | An email header |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can describe how extra facts about a file or a table give it context.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Metadata describes data
Metadata is data about data. It does not change the content of a file. It gives it context.
A document has a name, a size, an owner and a timestamp for when it was last changed. Each of those is a property. Together they tell you what the file is and where it came from.
Metadata in analysts' work
| Item | The data | Metadata |
|---|---|---|
| A photo of a shelf | The picture | Time taken, camera, place |
| A document | The words | Author, size, last changed |
| An email | The message | Sender, time sent, route taken (the header) |
| A database table | The rows | Field names and types |
| A survey file | The answers | Who ran it, when, how many people were asked, what each column means |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: data or metadata?
Have a go
Check: data or metadata?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.