DatolioA business glossary records shared business concepts; it should not merely rename columns. A useful term states what the concept includes and excludes, how it is calculated when relevant, who can confirm it and where it is implemented.
Good definitions reduce interpretation work at the moment someone builds a report, writes a rule or investigates an exception. Linking terms to technical assets is what prevents an elegant glossary from drifting away from the data people actually use.
How to write a term people can use
- Name one concept Prefer the language used in a business decision, not an internal field name.
- Draw the boundary State inclusion, exclusion, time window and status conditions. Avoid definitions that repeat the term.
- Record responsibility Assign a Steward who can resolve ambiguity and a review date appropriate to the concept.
- Link the implementation Connect the term to every relevant table, field or derived metric; record limitations rather than hiding them.
| Term | Weak definition | Reviewable definition |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | The amount of revenue | Net amount from completed sales, excluding cancelled and refunded transactions; reported in the transaction currency |
| Active customer | A customer who is active | Customer with at least one completed purchase in the previous 90 days; test accounts excluded |
| Order date | Date of the order | Calendar date on which checkout was completed, stored in UTC and displayed in the reporting timezone |
| High-value data | Important data | Asset whose unavailability or misuse would materially affect the named decision, service or obligation |
What good looks like
A term is ready for confirmation when a new colleague can apply it consistently and can find both the decision owner and the fields that implement it.