GlossaryTerm¶

Business concepts and definitions - the foundation of business vocabulary

Overview¶

The GlossaryTerm entity represents a business concept with its definition, synonyms, related terms, and relationships to data assets. It is the primary mechanism for linking business context to technical data assets.

Relationship Diagram¶

graph TD
    %% Main entity
    GT[GlossaryTerm<br/>Customer]

    %% Parent glossary
    GLOSS[Glossary<br/>BusinessGlossary] -->|contains| GT

    %% Parent term hierarchy
    PARENT[GlossaryTerm<br/>Party] -->|parent of| GT

    %% Child terms
    GT -->|has child| CHILD1[GlossaryTerm<br/>EnterpriseCustomer]
    GT -->|has child| CHILD2[GlossaryTerm<br/>IndividualCustomer]
    GT -->|has child| CHILD3[GlossaryTerm<br/>VIPCustomer]

    %% Related terms
    GT -.->|related to| REL1[GlossaryTerm<br/>Order]
    GT -.->|related to| REL2[GlossaryTerm<br/>Revenue]
    GT -.->|related to| REL3[GlossaryTerm<br/>Account]

    %% Synonyms
    GT -.->|synonym| SYN1[Synonym<br/>Client]
    GT -.->|synonym| SYN2[Synonym<br/>Buyer]
    GT -.->|synonym| SYN3[Synonym<br/>Purchaser]

    %% Governance relationships
    USR[User<br/>Jane Doe] -.->|owns| GT
    REV[Team<br/>DataGovernance] -.->|reviews| GT
    DOM[Domain<br/>Sales] -.->|groups| GT

    %% Classification tags
    TAG1[Tag<br/>Governance.Approved] -.->|classifies| GT
    TAG2[Tag<br/>PII.NonSensitive] -.->|classifies| GT

    %% Applied to data assets
    GT -.->|describes| TBL1[Table<br/>customers]
    GT -.->|describes| TBL2[Table<br/>customer_accounts]
    GT -.->|describes| COL1[Column<br/>customer_id]
    GT -.->|describes| COL2[Column<br/>customer_type]
    GT -.->|describes| DASH[Dashboard<br/>Customer Analytics]
    GT -.->|describes| ML[MLModel<br/>customer_churn]

    %% External references
    GT -.->|references| REF1[External Link<br/>Wikipedia]
    GT -.->|references| REF2[External Link<br/>GDPR Docs]

    %% Styling
    classDef glossary fill:#8B5CF6,stroke:#7C3AED,color:#fff
    classDef term fill:#A78BFA,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#fff
    classDef synonym fill:#DDD6FE,stroke:#A78BFA,color:#000
    classDef governance fill:#059669,stroke:#047857,color:#fff
    classDef data fill:#2563EB,stroke:#1E40AF,color:#fff
    classDef external fill:#64748B,stroke:#475569,color:#fff

    class GLOSS glossary
    class GT,PARENT,CHILD1,CHILD2,CHILD3,REL1,REL2,REL3 term
    class SYN1,SYN2,SYN3 synonym
    class USR,REV,DOM,TAG1,TAG2 governance
    class TBL1,TBL2,COL1,COL2,DASH,ML data
    class REF1,REF2 external

Schema Specifications¶

View the complete GlossaryTerm schema in your preferred format:

JSON SchemaRDFJSON-LD

Complete JSON Schema Definition

{
  "$id": "https://open-metadata.org/schema/entity/data/glossaryTerm.json",
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "title": "GlossaryTerm",
  "description": "A `GlossaryTerm` defines a business concept with its definition, synonyms, and relationships.",
  "type": "object",
  "javaType": "org.openmetadata.schema.entity.data.GlossaryTerm",

  "definitions": {
    "termReference": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "name": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "endpoint": {
          "type": "string",
          "format": "uri"
        }
      }
    },
    "status": {
      "description": "Status of the glossary term",
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["Draft", "Approved", "Deprecated", "Rejected"]
    }
  },

  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "description": "Unique identifier",
      "$ref": "../../type/basic.json#/definitions/uuid"
    },
    "name": {
      "description": "Term name",
      "$ref": "../../type/basic.json#/definitions/entityName"
    },
    "fullyQualifiedName": {
      "description": "Fully qualified name: glossary.term",
      "$ref": "../../type/basic.json#/definitions/fullyQualifiedEntityName"
    },
    "displayName": {
      "description": "Display name",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "description": {
      "description": "Markdown definition of the term",
      "$ref": "../../type/basic.json#/definitions/markdown"
    },
    "glossary": {
      "description": "Parent glossary",
      "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
    },
    "parent": {
      "description": "Parent glossary term",
      "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
    },
    "children": {
      "description": "Child glossary terms",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
      }
    },
    "synonyms": {
      "description": "Alternate names for this term",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "relatedTerms": {
      "description": "Related glossary terms",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
      }
    },
    "references": {
      "description": "External references",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "#/definitions/termReference"
      }
    },
    "status": {
      "$ref": "#/definitions/status"
    },
    "owner": {
      "description": "Owner (user or team)",
      "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
    },
    "domain": {
      "description": "Data domain",
      "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
    },
    "tags": {
      "description": "Classification tags",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "../../type/tagLabel.json"
      }
    },
    "reviewers": {
      "description": "Users or teams that can review this term",
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "../../type/entityReference.json"
      }
    },
    "usageCount": {
      "description": "Number of data assets using this term",
      "type": "integer"
    },
    "version": {
      "description": "Metadata version",
      "$ref": "../../type/entityHistory.json#/definitions/entityVersion"
    }
  },

  "required": ["id", "name", "glossary", "description"]
}

View Full JSON Schema →

RDF/OWL Ontology Definition

@prefix om: <https://open-metadata.org/schema/> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .

# GlossaryTerm Class Definition
om:GlossaryTerm a owl:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf om:GovernanceAsset, skos:Concept ;
    rdfs:label "GlossaryTerm" ;
    rdfs:comment "A business concept with definition and relationships" ;
    om:hierarchyLevel 2 .

# Properties
om:termName a owl:DatatypeProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range xsd:string ;
    rdfs:label "name" ;
    rdfs:comment "Name of the glossary term" .

om:fullyQualifiedName a owl:DatatypeProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range xsd:string ;
    rdfs:label "fullyQualifiedName" ;
    rdfs:comment "Complete hierarchical name: glossary.term" .

om:termDefinition a owl:DatatypeProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range xsd:string ;
    rdfs:label "definition" ;
    rdfs:comment "Definition of the business term" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:definition .

om:synonym a owl:DatatypeProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range xsd:string ;
    rdfs:label "synonym" ;
    rdfs:comment "Alternate name for this term" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:altLabel .

om:termStatus a owl:DatatypeProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:TermStatus ;
    rdfs:label "status" ;
    rdfs:comment "Approval status: Draft, Approved, Deprecated, Rejected" .

om:belongsToGlossary a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:Glossary ;
    rdfs:label "belongsToGlossary" ;
    rdfs:comment "Parent glossary" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:inScheme .

om:hasParentTerm a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:label "hasParentTerm" ;
    rdfs:comment "Parent term in hierarchy" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:broader .

om:hasChildTerm a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:label "hasChildTerm" ;
    rdfs:comment "Child term in hierarchy" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:narrower .

om:relatedTo a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:label "relatedTo" ;
    rdfs:comment "Related glossary term" ;
    owl:equivalentProperty skos:related .

om:appliedToAsset a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain om:GlossaryTerm ;
    rdfs:range om:DataAsset ;
    rdfs:label "appliedToAsset" ;
    rdfs:comment "Data assets tagged with this term" .

# Term Status Enumeration
om:TermStatus a owl:Class ;
    owl:oneOf (
        om:DraftStatus
        om:ApprovedStatus
        om:DeprecatedStatus
        om:RejectedStatus
    ) .

# Example Instance
ex:customerTerm a om:GlossaryTerm, skos:Concept ;
    om:termName "Customer" ;
    om:fullyQualifiedName "BusinessGlossary.Customer" ;
    om:displayName "Customer" ;
    om:termDefinition "An individual or organization that purchases goods or services" ;
    om:synonym "Client" ;
    om:synonym "Account" ;
    om:termStatus om:ApprovedStatus ;
    om:belongsToGlossary ex:businessGlossary ;
    om:relatedTo ex:orderTerm ;
    om:hasChildTerm ex:enterpriseCustomerTerm ;
    om:appliedToAsset ex:customersTable ;
    om:ownedBy ex:janeDoe .

View Full RDF Ontology →

JSON-LD Context and Example

{
  "@context": {
    "@vocab": "https://open-metadata.org/schema/",
    "om": "https://open-metadata.org/schema/",
    "skos": "http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#",
    "rdfs": "http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#",
    "xsd": "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#",

    "GlossaryTerm": "om:GlossaryTerm",
    "Concept": "skos:Concept",
    "name": {
      "@id": "om:termName",
      "@type": "xsd:string"
    },
    "fullyQualifiedName": {
      "@id": "om:fullyQualifiedName",
      "@type": "xsd:string"
    },
    "displayName": {
      "@id": "om:displayName",
      "@type": "xsd:string"
    },
    "description": {
      "@id": "om:termDefinition",
      "@type": "xsd:string"
    },
    "definition": {
      "@id": "skos:definition",
      "@type": "xsd:string"
    },
    "synonyms": {
      "@id": "skos:altLabel",
      "@type": "xsd:string",
      "@container": "@set"
    },
    "status": {
      "@id": "om:termStatus",
      "@type": "@vocab"
    },
    "glossary": {
      "@id": "skos:inScheme",
      "@type": "@id"
    },
    "parent": {
      "@id": "skos:broader",
      "@type": "@id"
    },
    "children": {
      "@id": "skos:narrower",
      "@type": "@id",
      "@container": "@set"
    },
    "relatedTerms": {
      "@id": "skos:related",
      "@type": "@id",
      "@container": "@set"
    },
    "owner": {
      "@id": "om:ownedBy",
      "@type": "@id"
    },
    "reviewers": {
      "@id": "om:hasReviewer",
      "@type": "@id",
      "@container": "@set"
    },
    "tags": {
      "@id": "om:hasTag",
      "@type": "@id",
      "@container": "@set"
    }
  }
}

Example JSON-LD Instance:

{
  "@context": "https://open-metadata.org/context/glossaryTerm.jsonld",
  "@type": ["GlossaryTerm", "Concept"],
  "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Customer",

  "name": "Customer",
  "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer",
  "displayName": "Customer",
  "description": "# Customer\n\nAn individual or organization that purchases goods or services from the company.\n\n## Key Attributes\n- Must have a unique customer ID\n- Can be individual or business entity\n- Has associated contact information",
  "definition": "An individual or organization that purchases goods or services",
  "status": "Approved",

  "synonyms": ["Client", "Account", "Buyer"],

  "glossary": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business",
    "@type": "Glossary",
    "name": "BusinessGlossary"
  },

  "parent": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Party",
    "@type": "GlossaryTerm",
    "name": "Party"
  },

  "children": [
    {
      "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/EnterpriseCustomer",
      "@type": "GlossaryTerm",
      "name": "EnterpriseCustomer"
    },
    {
      "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/IndividualCustomer",
      "@type": "GlossaryTerm",
      "name": "IndividualCustomer"
    }
  ],

  "relatedTerms": [
    {
      "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Order",
      "@type": "GlossaryTerm",
      "name": "Order"
    },
    {
      "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Revenue",
      "@type": "GlossaryTerm",
      "name": "Revenue"
    }
  ],

  "references": [
    {
      "name": "Customer Definition - Wikipedia",
      "endpoint": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer"
    }
  ],

  "owner": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/users/jane.doe",
    "@type": "User",
    "name": "jane.doe",
    "displayName": "Jane Doe"
  },

  "reviewers": [
    {
      "@id": "https://example.com/teams/data-governance",
      "@type": "Team",
      "name": "DataGovernance"
    }
  ],

  "tags": [
    {
      "@id": "https://open-metadata.org/tags/Governance/Approved",
      "tagFQN": "Governance.Approved"
    }
  ],

  "usageCount": 45
}

View Full JSON-LD Context →

Use Cases¶

Define business concepts with clear definitions
Link business terms to technical data assets (tables, columns, dashboards)
Build hierarchical business vocabularies (parent-child relationships)
Document synonyms and alternate names
Track term approval status and lifecycle
Enable business-oriented data discovery
Support regulatory compliance with standardized terminology
Facilitate cross-team understanding of business concepts
Document relationships between business concepts

JSON Schema Specification¶

Core Properties¶

`id` (uuid)¶

Type: string (UUID format) Required: Yes (system-generated) Description: Unique identifier for this glossary term

{
  "id": "2b3c4d5e-6f7a-4b8c-9d0e-1f2a3b4c5d6e"
}

`name` (entityName)¶

Type: string Required: Yes Pattern: ^[^.]*$ (no dots allowed) Min Length: 1 Max Length: 256 Description: Name of the glossary term

{
  "name": "Customer"
}

`fullyQualifiedName` (fullyQualifiedEntityName)¶

Type: string Required: Yes (system-generated) Pattern: ^((?!::).)*$ Description: Fully qualified name in the format glossary.term or glossary.parentTerm.term

{
  "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer"
}

`displayName`¶

Type: string Required: No Description: Human-readable display name

{
  "displayName": "Customer"
}

`description` (markdown)¶

Type: string (Markdown format) Required: Yes Description: Rich text definition of the business term

{
  "description": "# Customer\n\nAn individual or organization that purchases goods or services from the company.\n\n## Key Attributes\n- Must have a unique customer ID\n- Can be individual or business entity\n- Has associated contact information\n\n## Usage Guidelines\nUse this term when referring to entities that have a purchasing relationship with the company."
}

Relationship Properties¶

`glossary` (EntityReference)¶

Type: object Required: Yes Description: Reference to parent glossary

{
  "glossary": {
    "id": "glossary-uuid",
    "type": "glossary",
    "name": "BusinessGlossary",
    "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary"
  }
}

`parent` (EntityReference)¶

Type: object Required: No Description: Parent glossary term in hierarchy

{
  "parent": {
    "id": "parent-term-uuid",
    "type": "glossaryTerm",
    "name": "Party",
    "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Party"
  }
}

`children[]` (GlossaryTerm[])¶

Type: array of GlossaryTerm references Required: No Description: Child glossary terms

{
  "children": [
    {
      "id": "child-term-uuid-1",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "EnterpriseCustomer",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer.EnterpriseCustomer"
    },
    {
      "id": "child-term-uuid-2",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "IndividualCustomer",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer.IndividualCustomer"
    }
  ]
}

`relatedTerms[]` (GlossaryTerm[])¶

Type: array of GlossaryTerm references Required: No Description: Related glossary terms (non-hierarchical relationships)

{
  "relatedTerms": [
    {
      "id": "related-term-uuid-1",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "Order",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Order"
    },
    {
      "id": "related-term-uuid-2",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "Revenue",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Revenue"
    }
  ]
}

Semantic Properties¶

`synonyms[]` (string[])¶

Type: array of strings Required: No Description: Alternate names for this term

{
  "synonyms": ["Client", "Account", "Buyer", "Purchaser"]
}

`references[]` (TermReference[])¶

Type: array of reference objects Required: No Description: External references and documentation

TermReference Object:

Property	Type	Required	Description
`name`	string	Yes	Reference name
`endpoint`	uri	Yes	URL to external resource

{
  "references": [
    {
      "name": "Customer Definition - Wikipedia",
      "endpoint": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer"
    },
    {
      "name": "GDPR Customer Rights",
      "endpoint": "https://gdpr-info.eu/art-15-gdpr/"
    }
  ]
}

`status` (Status enum)¶

Type: string enum Required: No (default: Draft) Allowed Values:

Draft - Term is being defined
Approved - Term has been reviewed and approved
Deprecated - Term is no longer recommended for use
Rejected - Term was rejected during review

{
  "status": "Approved"
}

Governance Properties¶

`owner` (EntityReference)¶

Type: object Required: No Description: User or team that owns this term

{
  "owner": {
    "id": "owner-uuid",
    "type": "user",
    "name": "jane.doe",
    "displayName": "Jane Doe"
  }
}

`reviewers[]` (EntityReference[])¶

Type: array of User or Team references Required: No Description: Users or teams that can review and approve this term

{
  "reviewers": [
    {
      "id": "reviewer-uuid",
      "type": "team",
      "name": "DataGovernance",
      "displayName": "Data Governance Team"
    }
  ]
}

`domain` (EntityReference)¶

Type: object Required: No Description: Data domain this term belongs to

{
  "domain": {
    "id": "domain-uuid",
    "type": "domain",
    "name": "Sales",
    "fullyQualifiedName": "Sales"
  }
}

`tags[]` (TagLabel[])¶

Type: array Required: No Description: Classification tags applied to the term

{
  "tags": [
    {
      "tagFQN": "Governance.Approved",
      "source": "Classification",
      "labelType": "Manual",
      "state": "Confirmed"
    }
  ]
}

Usage Properties¶

`usageCount` (integer)¶

Type: integer Required: No (system-generated) Description: Number of data assets tagged with this term

{
  "usageCount": 45
}

Versioning Properties¶

`version` (entityVersion)¶

Type: number Required: Yes (system-managed) Description: Metadata version number, incremented on changes

{
  "version": 2.1
}

`updatedAt` (timestamp)¶

Type: integer (Unix epoch milliseconds) Required: Yes (system-managed) Description: Last update timestamp

{
  "updatedAt": 1704240000000
}

`updatedBy` (string)¶

Type: string Required: Yes (system-managed) Description: User who made the update

{
  "updatedBy": "jane.doe"
}

Complete Example¶

{
  "id": "2b3c4d5e-6f7a-4b8c-9d0e-1f2a3b4c5d6e",
  "name": "Customer",
  "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer",
  "displayName": "Customer",
  "description": "# Customer\n\nAn individual or organization that purchases goods or services from the company.",
  "status": "Approved",
  "synonyms": ["Client", "Account", "Buyer"],
  "glossary": {
    "id": "glossary-uuid",
    "type": "glossary",
    "name": "BusinessGlossary"
  },
  "parent": {
    "id": "parent-uuid",
    "type": "glossaryTerm",
    "name": "Party",
    "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Party"
  },
  "children": [
    {
      "id": "child-uuid-1",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "EnterpriseCustomer",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer.EnterpriseCustomer"
    }
  ],
  "relatedTerms": [
    {
      "id": "related-uuid-1",
      "type": "glossaryTerm",
      "name": "Order",
      "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Order"
    }
  ],
  "references": [
    {
      "name": "Customer Definition - Wikipedia",
      "endpoint": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer"
    }
  ],
  "owner": {
    "id": "owner-uuid",
    "type": "user",
    "name": "jane.doe",
    "displayName": "Jane Doe"
  },
  "reviewers": [
    {
      "id": "reviewer-uuid",
      "type": "team",
      "name": "DataGovernance"
    }
  ],
  "domain": {
    "id": "domain-uuid",
    "type": "domain",
    "name": "Sales"
  },
  "tags": [
    {
      "tagFQN": "Governance.Approved"
    }
  ],
  "usageCount": 45,
  "version": 2.1,
  "updatedAt": 1704240000000,
  "updatedBy": "jane.doe"
}

RDF Representation¶

Ontology Class¶

@prefix om: <https://open-metadata.org/schema/> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .

om:GlossaryTerm a owl:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf om:GovernanceAsset, skos:Concept ;
    rdfs:label "GlossaryTerm" ;
    rdfs:comment "A business concept with definition and relationships" ;
    om:hasProperties [
        om:name "string" ;
        om:definition "string" ;
        om:synonyms "string[]" ;
        om:status "TermStatus" ;
        om:parent "GlossaryTerm" ;
        om:children "GlossaryTerm[]" ;
        om:relatedTerms "GlossaryTerm[]" ;
    ] .

Instance Example¶

@prefix om: <https://open-metadata.org/schema/> .
@prefix ex: <https://example.com/glossary/> .
@prefix skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> .

ex:customerTerm a om:GlossaryTerm, skos:Concept ;
    om:termName "Customer" ;
    om:fullyQualifiedName "BusinessGlossary.Customer" ;
    om:displayName "Customer" ;
    skos:definition "An individual or organization that purchases goods or services" ;
    skos:altLabel "Client" ;
    skos:altLabel "Account" ;
    om:termStatus om:ApprovedStatus ;
    skos:inScheme ex:businessGlossary ;
    skos:broader ex:partyTerm ;
    skos:narrower ex:enterpriseCustomerTerm ;
    skos:related ex:orderTerm ;
    om:ownedBy ex:janeDoe ;
    om:hasReviewer ex:dataGovernanceTeam ;
    om:appliedToAsset ex:customersTable .

JSON-LD Context¶

{
  "@context": {
    "@vocab": "https://open-metadata.org/schema/",
    "om": "https://open-metadata.org/schema/",
    "skos": "http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#",
    "GlossaryTerm": "om:GlossaryTerm",
    "Concept": "skos:Concept",
    "name": "om:termName",
    "description": "skos:definition",
    "synonyms": "skos:altLabel",
    "glossary": "skos:inScheme",
    "parent": "skos:broader",
    "children": "skos:narrower",
    "relatedTerms": "skos:related"
  }
}

JSON-LD Example¶

{
  "@context": "https://open-metadata.org/context/glossaryTerm.jsonld",
  "@type": ["GlossaryTerm", "Concept"],
  "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Customer",
  "name": "Customer",
  "fullyQualifiedName": "BusinessGlossary.Customer",
  "description": "An individual or organization that purchases goods or services",
  "status": "Approved",
  "synonyms": ["Client", "Account"],
  "glossary": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business",
    "@type": "Glossary"
  },
  "parent": {
    "@id": "https://example.com/glossary/business/Party",
    "@type": "GlossaryTerm"
  }
}

Relationships¶

Parent Entities¶

Glossary: The glossary this term belongs to
GlossaryTerm: Parent term (for hierarchical terms)

Child Entities¶

GlossaryTerm: Child terms in hierarchy

Associated Entities¶

Owner: User or team owning this term
Reviewer: Users or teams that can review
Domain: Business domain assignment
Tag: Classification tags
DataAsset: Tables, columns, dashboards, etc. tagged with this term

Relationship Diagram¶

graph TD
    %% Hierarchical relationships (parent-child)
    GLOSS[Glossary<br/>BusinessGlossary] -->|contains| GT1[GlossaryTerm<br/>Customer]
    GT1 -->|has child| GT2[GlossaryTerm<br/>Individual Customer]
    GT1 -->|has child| GT3[GlossaryTerm<br/>Corporate Customer]

    %% Cross-entity relationships - Governance
    USR[User/Team] -.->|owns| GT1
    REV[User<br/>Reviewer] -.->|reviews| GT1
    DOM[Domain<br/>Sales] -.->|groups| GT1
    TAG[Tag] -.->|classifies| GT1

    %% Related terms
    GT1 -.->|related to| GT4[GlossaryTerm<br/>Account]
    GT1 -.->|synonym| SYN[Synonym<br/>Client]

    %% Cross-entity relationships - Data Assets
    GT1 -.->|describes| TBL[Table<br/>customers]
    GT1 -.->|describes| COL[Column<br/>customer_type]
    GT1 -.->|describes| DASH[Dashboard<br/>Customer Analytics]
    GT1 -.->|describes| ML[MLModel<br/>churn_predictor]

    %% Styling
    classDef glossary fill:#8B5CF6,stroke:#7C3AED,color:#fff
    classDef term fill:#A78BFA,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#fff
    classDef governance fill:#059669,stroke:#047857,color:#fff
    classDef data fill:#2563EB,stroke:#1E40AF,color:#fff

    class GLOSS glossary
    class GT1,GT2,GT3,GT4,SYN term
    class USR,REV,DOM,TAG governance
    class TBL,COL,DASH,ML data

Custom Properties¶

This entity supports custom properties through the extension field. Common custom properties include:

Data Classification: Sensitivity level
Cost Center: Billing allocation
Retention Period: Data retention requirements
Application Owner: Owning application/team

See Custom Properties for details on defining and using custom properties.

API Operations¶

List Glossary Terms¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms
Query Parameters:
  - glossary: Filter by glossary ID or name
  - parent: Filter by parent term ID
  - directChildrenOf: List immediate children of specified term
  - fields: Fields to include (children, relatedTerms, reviewers, owners, tags, usageCount, domains, extension, childrenCount)
  - limit: Number of results (1-1000000, default 10)
  - before: Cursor for previous page
  - after: Cursor for next page
  - include: all | deleted | non-deleted (default: non-deleted)

Response: GlossaryTermList

Example Request:

GET /v1/glossaryTerms?glossary=BusinessGlossary&fields=children,relatedTerms,owners,status&limit=50

Create Glossary Term¶

POST /v1/glossaryTerms
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Customer",
  "displayName": "Customer",
  "description": "# Customer\n\nAn individual or organization that purchases goods or services from a business.\n\n## Key Attributes\n- Unique customer identifier\n- Contact information\n- Purchase history\n- Account status",
  "glossary": "BusinessGlossary",
  "parent": {
    "id": "parent-term-uuid",
    "type": "glossaryTerm"
  },
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "name": "Client",
      "source": "Business"
    },
    {
      "name": "Account",
      "source": "CRM"
    },
    {
      "name": "Buyer",
      "source": "Sales"
    }
  ],
  "relatedTerms": [
    {
      "id": "order-term-uuid",
      "type": "glossaryTerm"
    },
    {
      "id": "revenue-term-uuid",
      "type": "glossaryTerm"
    }
  ],
  "references": [
    {
      "name": "CRM Documentation",
      "endpoint": "https://docs.example.com/crm/customer"
    }
  ],
  "status": "Draft",
  "owner": {
    "id": "user-uuid",
    "type": "user"
  },
  "reviewers": [
    {
      "id": "reviewer-uuid",
      "type": "user"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    {"tagFQN": "Governance.Approved"},
    {"tagFQN": "PII.NonSensitive"}
  ],
  "domain": {
    "id": "domain-uuid",
    "type": "domain"
  }
}

Response: GlossaryTerm

Create Multiple Glossary Terms¶

POST /v1/glossaryTerms/createMany
Content-Type: application/json

[
  {
    "name": "Order",
    "displayName": "Order",
    "description": "A customer's request to purchase products or services",
    "glossary": "BusinessGlossary"
  },
  {
    "name": "Invoice",
    "displayName": "Invoice",
    "description": "A document requesting payment for goods or services",
    "glossary": "BusinessGlossary"
  }
]

Response: List of created GlossaryTerms

Get Glossary Term by Name¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/name/{fqn}
Query Parameters:
  - fields: Fields to include (parent, children, relatedTerms, reviewers, owners, tags, usageCount, domains, childrenCount)
  - include: all | deleted | non-deleted (default: non-deleted)

Response: GlossaryTerm

Example Request:

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/name/BusinessGlossary.Customer?fields=parent,children,relatedTerms,usageCount

Get Glossary Term by ID¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}
Query Parameters:
  - fields: Fields to include
  - include: all | deleted | non-deleted (default: non-deleted)

Response: GlossaryTerm

Update Glossary Term (Partial)¶

PATCH /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}
Content-Type: application/json-patch+json

[
  {
    "op": "replace",
    "path": "/status",
    "value": "Approved"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/synonyms/-",
    "value": {
      "name": "Purchaser",
      "source": "eCommerce"
    }
  },
  {
    "op": "replace",
    "path": "/description",
    "value": "Updated term description with additional details"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/tags/-",
    "value": {"tagFQN": "BusinessCritical"}
  }
]

Response: GlossaryTerm

Create or Update Glossary Term¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Revenue",
  "displayName": "Revenue",
  "description": "Income generated from normal business operations",
  "glossary": "BusinessGlossary",
  "synonyms": [{"name": "Income"}, {"name": "Sales"}],
  "status": "Approved"
}

Response: GlossaryTerm

Delete Glossary Term¶

DELETE /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}
Query Parameters:
  - hardDelete: true | false (default: false - soft delete)
  - recursive: true | false (default: false)

Response: GlossaryTerm

Delete Glossary Term (Async)¶

DELETE /v1/glossaryTerms/async/{id}
Query Parameters:
  - hardDelete: true | false (default: false)
  - recursive: true | false (default: false)

Response: Async deletion job details

Get Assets for Term¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/assets
Query Parameters:
  - limit: Number of results (1-1000000, default 10)
  - before: Cursor for previous page
  - after: Cursor for next page

Response: List of data assets tagged with this term

Get Assets for Term by Name¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/name/{fqn}/assets
Query Parameters:
  - limit: Number of results (1-1000000, default 10)
  - before: Cursor for previous page
  - after: Cursor for next page

Response: List of data assets tagged with this term

Add Assets to Term¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/assets/add
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "assets": [
    {
      "id": "table-uuid-1",
      "type": "table"
    },
    {
      "id": "dashboard-uuid-1",
      "type": "dashboard"
    },
    {
      "id": "column-uuid-1",
      "type": "column"
    }
  ]
}

Response: ChangeEvent

Remove Assets from Term¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/assets/remove
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "assets": [
    {
      "id": "table-uuid-1",
      "type": "table"
    }
  ]
}

Response: ChangeEvent

Move Glossary Term (Async)¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/moveAsync
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "newParent": {
    "id": "new-parent-uuid",
    "type": "glossaryTerm"
  }
}

Response: Async move operation details

Get Glossary Term Version¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/versions/{version}

Response: GlossaryTerm (specific version)

Get Glossary Term Versions¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/versions

Response: EntityHistory (all versions)

Search Glossary Terms¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/search
Query Parameters:
  - q: Search query
  - glossary: Filter by glossary
  - status: Filter by status (Draft, Approved, Deprecated)
  - fields: Fields to include
  - limit: Number of results
  - from: Offset for pagination

Response: SearchResults with GlossaryTerms

Example Request:

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/search?q=customer&glossary=BusinessGlossary&status=Approved&limit=20

Restore Glossary Term¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms/restore
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "term-uuid"
}

Response: GlossaryTerm (restored)

Vote on Glossary Term¶

PUT /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/vote
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "vote": "upvote"
}

Response: ChangeEvent

Validate Tags on Term¶

GET /v1/glossaryTerms/{id}/tags/validate
Query Parameters:
  - includeChildren: true | false (default: false)

Response: Validation results for tags applied to the term

Glossary - Glossary containers
Classification - Tag hierarchies
Tag - Individual tags
Table - Linking terms to tables
SKOS Standard - W3C Simple Knowledge Organization System

GlossaryTerm¶

Overview¶

Relationship Diagram¶

Schema Specifications¶

Use Cases¶

JSON Schema Specification¶

Core Properties¶

id (uuid)¶

name (entityName)¶

fullyQualifiedName (fullyQualifiedEntityName)¶

displayName¶

description (markdown)¶

Relationship Properties¶

glossary (EntityReference)¶

parent (EntityReference)¶

children[] (GlossaryTerm[])¶

relatedTerms[] (GlossaryTerm[])¶

Semantic Properties¶

synonyms[] (string[])¶

references[] (TermReference[])¶

status (Status enum)¶

Governance Properties¶

owner (EntityReference)¶

reviewers[] (EntityReference[])¶

domain (EntityReference)¶

tags[] (TagLabel[])¶

Usage Properties¶

usageCount (integer)¶

Versioning Properties¶

version (entityVersion)¶

updatedAt (timestamp)¶

updatedBy (string)¶

Complete Example¶

RDF Representation¶

Ontology Class¶

Instance Example¶

JSON-LD Context¶

JSON-LD Example¶

Relationships¶

Parent Entities¶

Child Entities¶

Associated Entities¶

Relationship Diagram¶

Custom Properties¶

API Operations¶

List Glossary Terms¶

Create Glossary Term¶

Create Multiple Glossary Terms¶

Get Glossary Term by Name¶

Get Glossary Term by ID¶

Update Glossary Term (Partial)¶

Create or Update Glossary Term¶

Delete Glossary Term¶

Delete Glossary Term (Async)¶

Get Assets for Term¶

Get Assets for Term by Name¶

Add Assets to Term¶

Remove Assets from Term¶

Move Glossary Term (Async)¶

Get Glossary Term Version¶

Get Glossary Term Versions¶

Search Glossary Terms¶

Restore Glossary Term¶

Vote on Glossary Term¶

Validate Tags on Term¶

Related Documentation¶

`id` (uuid)¶

`name` (entityName)¶

`fullyQualifiedName` (fullyQualifiedEntityName)¶

`displayName`¶

`description` (markdown)¶

`glossary` (EntityReference)¶

`parent` (EntityReference)¶

`children[]` (GlossaryTerm[])¶

`relatedTerms[]` (GlossaryTerm[])¶

`synonyms[]` (string[])¶

`references[]` (TermReference[])¶

`status` (Status enum)¶

`owner` (EntityReference)¶

`reviewers[]` (EntityReference[])¶

`domain` (EntityReference)¶

`tags[]` (TagLabel[])¶

`usageCount` (integer)¶

`version` (entityVersion)¶

`updatedAt` (timestamp)¶

`updatedBy` (string)¶