A design theory for data catalogs
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Date
2024
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Abstract
In today's data-driven world, individuals, companies, and government agencies are generating and collecting enormous amounts of data at an increasing rate.
This vast amount of data offers immense potential for valuable insights, informed decision-making, and value creation.
The correct data can help optimize processes, make predictions, or establish new business models.
To exploit this potential, professional and modern data management that supports data discovery, data governance, and data democratization is essential.
For this purpose, data catalogs are a valuable tool.
They act as a centralized repository within an organization or institution, allowing users to discover, understand, and access data quickly.
Data catalogs are gaining popularity in many fields, but holistic, practice-based, and design-oriented knowledge is still lacking.
Thus, the goal of this thesis is to provide a design theory that will aid scholars and professionals in the process of designing data catalogs.
As a basis for developing the design theory, we utilized our data catalog, DIVA, which we developed over several iterations and years in close exchange with practice.
We have done this to create a design theory grounded in practice that is relevant to both researchers and practitioners.
Prescriptive design knowledge was extracted from DIVA in the form of design principles.
Concrete recommendations for action in the form of design features were also developed based on DIVA.
In a qualitative study, people from the target group of our design theory evaluated the results.
We present design knowledge for data catalogs of different maturity levels.
On the one hand, implicit design knowledge is given as software artifacts.
Further, design knowledge has been published in the form of models, methods, and architectures in peer-reviewed publications, which are part of this thesis.
Mainly, this work deals with the development of design principles and design features.
In sum, the contributions compose a design theory for data catalogs.
This thesis contributes to the body of design-oriented knowledge concerning data catalogs and thus also data management in general.
The design theory is intended to support researchers and practitioners in designing or developing successful data catalogs.
It aids them by providing prescriptive design knowledge and concretizing examples from practice and literature.
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Keywords
Data catalogs, Design knowledge, Design principles, Design features, Design theory