Data dictionary

Roles that need it

• Data Governance Analyst
• Data Analyst (Banking)
• Business Analyst (Banking)
• Regulatory Reporting Analyst
• Master Data Specialist

Skills it belongs to

• Data modelling and schema design
• Data governance, quality and lineage
• Requirements gathering and documentation

Related concepts

• MetadataMetadata is data that describes other data: its meaning, format, source, owner, update frequency and permitted use. EU law defines it as a structured description of the contents or use of data that helps people find or use it. Business, technical and operational metadata are the usual families.
• Data catalogueA data catalogue is a searchable inventory of an organisation's data assets with their metadata: descriptions, owners, location, quality scores and lineage. Users search it to find trusted data before building a report or model. Also spelled data catalog.
• Critical data element (CDE)A critical data element is a data item whose errors would materially affect risk reports, regulatory returns, financial statements or key decisions. Firms flag CDEs to focus ownership, lineage and quality controls on the data that matters most.

Sources

• BIRD technical guidelines 4.1, ECB (external site) accessed 31 Oct 2026
• Guide on effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting, ECB Banking Supervision (external site) accessed 31 Oct 2026

Updated 31 Oct 2026.