a.k.a.® was chosen by Barwon Health as the platform for their metadata registry and information asset register following a successful proof of concept in early 2015.
The Barwon Health metadata registry (or data dictionary) delivers a critical component of HEART (HealthCare Excellence Analytics and Research Tool). The HEART project was set up to establish a business intelligence platform, with a standardised reporting environment providing a single source of truth.
Metadata values are drawn from METeOR – an online Metadata registry managed and published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) augmented with Barwon Health metadata.
Linked Data Model
Using the a.k.a.® Designer the a.k.a.® team configured a metadata model that replicated the entities and relationships represented in METeOR.
METeOR Extraction APP
The team built an Extraction APP which enabled the Barwon team to read the METeOR database, flag and store metadata items and extract the metadata items into CSV files. The items are then loaded and managed within the a.k.a.® library.
The data design enables a governed approach to metadata management improving the consistency of information collection and supporting the maintenance and use of information over time. The design clearly indicates who is responsible for the definition of the data and the source of the information, and provides an audit trail to manage changes over time.
Interactive reporting
The a.k.a.® team also built a set of XSL templates enabling the publication of the datasets for browser based viewing.
The Interactive report format means that users can slice and dice the database to extract exactly the information they need.
