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.. _introduction:

**************************************************
Introduction to TQ Data Foundation
**************************************************

TopQuadrant’s Data Foundation™ is a flexible, Web-based solution that addresses data governance needs in
enterprise environments with heterogeneous data stores, data processing, and applications.

Data Foundation supports integrated data governance across the ever growing number and type of data assets
and governance needs.
It lets you capture business glossaries, data sources, conceptual models or ontologies, reference data,
business applications, policies and more. Further, it lets you build relationships across all of these items –
because connections are key to data governance.

Data Foundation is based on a rich set of interconnected knowledge graphs expressing knowledge about how data
is used and managed in the enterprise ecosystem.
These integrated knowledge graphs are ready to be enriched with your enterprise specific knowledge.
When this enrichment takes place, your enterprise is ready for implementing comprehensive data governance.

Data Foundation is highly configurable.
Data Foundation defines a variety of asset types that it can govern, such as Business Term and Database Table.
Assets based on those asset types are organized into asset collections that are also of different types,
such as Reference Datasets and Taxonomies.
Data Foundation's support of those asset collections is model-driven.
When deploying TQ Data Foundation in your organization, the models defining asset types can easily be changed or extended.
Additional asset collection types can also be defined.



Features of TQ Data Foundation
==================================================

* **Intuitive Graphical User Interface** – with auto-completion, drag and drop, rich text editing, search
  and filtering; accessibility across popular browsers –
  providing an easy-to-use environment for both business and technical stakeholders

* **Flexible data and relationship modeling** – handles both simple and complex data models and their
  relationships across domains; allows modeling,
  storing and using not only identifiers, labels and codes, but all relevant associated information

* **Auditability** – every change is logged and time stamped, change history can be searched, usage records
  captured where reference data is used

* **Control over versions** – virtual work-in-progress copies of asset collections allow parallel development
  of versions and enable controlled publishing, review and approval workflow

* **Collaboration** – through access and accountability based on roles, support for task assignments, statuses
  and issues

* **Shared semantics** – providing the ability to define and share meaning of all information elements globally
  and in the context of specific use

* **Repeatability of on-boarding** – capturing processes and best practices for on-boarding of external
  reference data

* **Wide and diverse distribution** – support for a variety of interaction patterns (for example, batch or real-time)
  and integration approaches

* **Data quality** – offering intuitive forms for creating data validation rules, but also enabling complex data
  validation rules development by expert users

* **Integration** – with third party systems and `Linked Data`_ clouds via Web Services interfaces and APIs;
  support for :ref:`graphql_target` making RDF data easily available to the JSON and browser ecosystems

* **Easy extensibility** – configurable user interfaces, reports, meta-model, import, export, Web Services;
  add executable actions to data shapes using :ref:`scripting` ; and more including deep customizations
  using TopQuadrant’s Data Foundation platform

* **Standards** – interoperability through a standards-based data representation instead of a vendor-specific
  representation with proprietary data formats; built-in support for W3C_ (World Wide Web Consortium) standards
  for data and data model interchange using Web/Linked Data technology, such as RDF_ , OWL_, SPARQL_, and SHACL_.

* **Enterprise-readiness** – scalable and robust architecture with :ref:`SSO <authentication_methods>` and integrations

.. index:: Asset Collection Type

Available Asset Collection Types
================================

A variety of asset collection types are available in Data Foundation.
They determine what kind of assets can be stored in the asset collection, what kind of metadata is captured about a collection and what functionality such as imports, exports, reports, editing applications, etc., are available for it.
It is also possible to extend Data Foundation by creating bespoke asset collection types.

.. admonition:: |doc_icon| TQ Data Foundation Assets and Asset Collection Types

  A brief explanation of key Data Foundation asset collection types is available at `Assets and Asset Collection Types`_


Data Foundation Packages
========================

TopQuadrant recognizes that when ramping up a data governance program, different organizations may have different priorities and starting points.
With Data Foundation, the organization can start incrementally.

For example, an organization might start using Data Foundation for just business glossaries or reference data or might focus on
metadata management first.
After the initial capability is operational, the organization can extend its data governance scope to governing
other assets when ready to do so.

To support this comprehensive but staged approach, TopQuadrant provides focused packages, available for use as
an initial configuration of Data Foundation.
Each package can be used on its own or in any combination with the other packages toward the targeted scope of
information governance in an organization.
Further, several add-on modules are available to extend the use of Data Foundation even more.

.. admonition:: |doc_icon| TQ Data Governance packages

  Details of TQ Data Governance packages is available at `TopQuadrant Data Governance Packages`_


.. index:: pair: Asset Collection Type ; Licensing

Licensing and Enablement
========================

The availability of any asset collection is determined by what is (a) licensed and (b) configured under
Server Administration.
To install a license or to view the currently licensed features, see :ref:`ProductRegistrationAdminPage`.
To configure which licensed collection types are currently enabled or disabled, see :ref:`ProductConfigurationParametersAdminPage`.

For general licensing information and available asset collections and packages, see the `TopQuadrant Website`_.

.. include:: ./edg_terminology.rst.txt