DAMA-DMBOK2 distinguishes descriptive, structural, and administrative metadata when discussing metadata classifications used outside conventional IT contexts. Descriptive metadata identifies and describes a resource sufficiently to enable discovery and retrieval. DMBOK2 gives title, author, and subject as explicit examples of descriptive metadata.
A book's author, title, and subject therefore answer practical discovery questions: What is the resource? Who created it? What is it about? These attributes allow catalogues, repositories, search tools, and users to identify and retrieve the required resource.
Option A is principally structural metadata. DMBOK2 specifically identifies the number of pages and chapters as examples describing relationships within or among the components of a resource. Option D represents administrative metadata because version numbers and archive dates help manage the resource throughout its lifecycle.
The distinction is important to Data Quality because metadata itself must have appropriate completeness, consistency, currency, and accuracy. Incorrect descriptive metadata can make a valid data asset effectively undiscoverable or lead users to select an inappropriate source.
Metadata Management therefore supports Data Quality by giving data consumers reliable definitions, context, provenance, ownership, lineage, and usage information.
Reference Topics: DAMA-DMBOK2 Metadata Management — Descriptive Metadata; Structural Metadata; Administrative Metadata; Metadata Quality; Chapter 13 — Data Quality and Metadata Management.
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