A powerful semantic layer provides the bridge between the physical expression of the data and the logical representation that users see. This is used to increase the value that can be derived from the data, by making the logical content of the data more obvious.
For example, rather than referring to tables and columns by their (often cryptic) internal system names, each can be supplied with a name that is most meaningful to the user community. This allows the users to more readily understand the data content, and most easily work with it.
There are a number of capabilities that are significant to Arbutus’s semantic layer, including:
- Any table may be given a name that is most meaningful to the users
- Each user only sees tables that are relevant to their needs
- Each column in a table can be given a name that is most meaningful to the users
- Each user only sees columns that are relevant to their needs
- Each user group can have their own independent table, and column names and subsets
- Virtual Columns may be created that augment the physical information in the tables
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