Quick Start
Available to:
Cost: No charge
See Getting Started, below.
Boston University’s Data Catalog is a cornerstone of the Data Enablement Program, designed to help the BU community engage with institutional data in a transparent, collaborative, and strategic way.
The Data Catalog provides a shared view of the information that supports Boston University’s operations. It helps users understand the meaning of institutional data, how data elements relate to one another, where information originates, and who is responsible for maintaining and stewarding it.
By connecting business terminology, institutional metrics, data sets, systems, and stewardship roles, the Data Catalog supports consistent understanding and responsible use of University data.
The Data Catalog serves as a central resource for documenting and sharing institutional knowledge about data. It enables members of the BU community to discover definitions, understand context, identify data stewards, and contribute expertise that strengthens our collective understanding of the University’s data landscape.
Benefits
- Provides a single, trusted source for institutional definitions, metrics, and data-related knowledge.
- Helps users understand how key terms, measures, and concepts are defined and used across the University.
- Identifies stewardship and accountability roles responsible for maintaining data definitions, metrics, and related information.
- Documents relationships between business concepts, institutional metrics, data sets, systems, and data elements.
- Improves consistency and transparency by making data knowledge accessible across organizational boundaries.
- Reduces time spent searching for information or identifying the appropriate subject matter expert.
- Supports responsible data use by connecting users with relevant policies, standards, and guidance.
- Encourages collaboration and continuous improvement through community contributions and feedback.
Key Features
- Search and browse institutional business terms, metrics, data sets, systems, and stewardship information.
- Explore relationships between data assets and the business concepts they support.
- View ownership and stewardship assignments for documented data resources.
- Submit feedback and suggestions to improve definitions, documentation, and metadata.
- Access supporting documentation, policies, standards, and guidance related to institutional data.
- Discover how institutional metrics and reporting concepts connect to underlying data sources.
What to Expect
The Data Catalog is available to members of the Boston University community connected through the University’s Two-Factor Authentication VPN.
The catalog will continue to expand over time as additional institutional knowledge, definitions, metrics, and data resources are documented and made available to the University community.
Requirements
- Access requires connection to the BU Two-Factor Authentication VPN.
- No login is required to search and view available catalog content.
- Logging in with BU credentials enables enhanced functionality, including participation in workflows, feedback submission, and personalized features.
- Users should follow applicable University policies and guidance regarding data access and use.
Getting Started
- Connect to the BU Two-Factor Authentication VPN.
- Visit the Data Catalog.
- Search for business terms, metrics, data sets, systems, or stewardship information using the catalog’s search capabilities.
- Explore related definitions, data assets, and stewardship information to better understand institutional data and its context.
For questions about the Data Catalog, Data Enablement services, data stewardship, or metadata documentation, submit a request through the AS&IR help form.
For additional resources, including data policies, data glossaries, data sharing guidance, and other data enablement services, visit the AS&IR website.