Reference data
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Reference data are data describing a physical or virtual object and its properties.[citation needed] Reference data are usually described with nouns.[citation needed]
Typical reference data are:
- Physical: products, material, assets, customers, locations
- Virtual: cost centers, planned buildings
Reference data can change over time via transactions (described in transaction data). E.g. a logistical transaction can change the location of an object, a financial transaction like adding tax can change the price of an object and a series of work transaction can change a virtual object like a planned building into a physical object.
[edit] Master reference data
A special type of reference data is master reference data - these are reference data shared over a number of systems. Some master reference data are universal (like the list of Countries) and can be covered by a global standard (in this case ISO 3166-1).
[edit] Master data and Master reference data
Master reference data are sometimes called Master data. This usage of the term Master data should be avoided,[citation needed] since Master data is also the term used for original data, like an original recording (see also: Master Tape).
