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Version: v4

Dataset Metadata

This chapter describes how to set the following dataset metadata. After setting metadata, click Search in the sidebar to run a quick search.

  • The dataset itself (basic information)
  • The dataset's columns

Dataset metadata​

Step 1: On the Datasets tab of the workspace page, for the dataset you want to edit, either (1) click the three-dot icon to the right of the item and select Edit Metadata, or (2) select the dataset to open its details page and click the Edit button in the upper right of the Metadata tab.

Step 2: In the dialog, set the following metadata for the dataset, then click Submit.

  • Tags: Custom tags (one or more). To add a tag, click +Add item, or pick from existing tags.
  • Description: A custom text description.
  • Semantic: \
    • Disable by default; Data Consumers in the workspace cannot see this dataset.
    • If set to Enable, Data Consumers can query and use this dataset. See the end of this chapter for how the semantic layer is used.
  • Public Search: Defaults to inheriting the workspace's setting ("Inherit"); the menu offers other options. If set to "Private", the dataset does not appear in the side menu Search results. If set to "Public", it appears in the side menu Search results.
info

The dataset name is metadata that cannot be changed.

info

For Shared Table datasets, only the Semantic setting can be edited.

Step 3: After editing, the updated metadata is shown for the dataset on the Datasets tab.

Column metadata ​

Step 1: On the Datasets tab of the workspace page, select the dataset to open its details page. In the Columns section of the Metadata tab, click the three-dot icon to the right of the column you want to edit and select Edit Metadata.

Step 2: In the dialog, set the following metadata for the column.

  • Tags: Custom tags (one or more). To add a tag, click +Add item, or pick from existing tags.
  • Description: A custom text description.
  • Public Search: Defaults to inheriting the dataset's setting ("Inherit"); the menu offers other options. If set to "Private", the column does not appear in the side menu Search results. If set to "Public", it appears in the side menu Search results.
info

The column Name and Type are metadata that cannot be changed.

info

Column metadata cannot be edited for Shared Table datasets. To edit column metadata for this type of dataset, do so on the source dataset.

Step 3: After editing, the updated metadata is shown for the column on the Metadata tab of the dataset details page.

What is the semantic layer?​

The semantic layer is the business representation of an organization's data. For example, a Data Analyst sees customer data in the CRM and transaction data in the transaction system, spread across the data warehouse and different databases. But Data Consumers care about metrics such as daily transaction volume. The Data Analyst transforms the data with SQL in Canner Enterprise and shares only the transaction volume dataset with Data Consumers. That transaction volume data is the semantic layer.

As shown above, in Canner Enterprise you can aggregate data from different sources in a workspace, then mark the final data you want Data Consumers to read as the semantic layer. This prevents sensitive data from leaking and keeps Data Consumers from seeing irrelevant data.