About vocabularies
In this guide
Overview
This guide is for Catalogue Managers who create and maintain vocabularies. If you're an Editor who wants to use existing vocabularies such as keywords and legislations to tag datasets, see Add or edit a dataset and Bulk upload datasets.
Vocabularies are controlled sets of terms used to describe and categorise datasets in your catalogue. They ensure consistent terminology across your organisation, making datasets easier to find and understand.
You can manage two types of vocabularies:
- Keywords: Terms that describe dataset content and subject matter (e.g., health, education, transportation). Improve dataset discoverability through search and filtering.
- Applicable legislations: Legal frameworks and regulations that datasets must adhere to. The platform integrates with Legilux↗ and EUR-Lex↗ for authentic legal references.
Other vocabularies: The system uses many other vocabularies, but you can only manage keywords and applicable legislations directly. Any metadata field that is filled via a dropdown menu is actually using a vocabulary.
How vocabularies work
As a Catalogue Manager, your vocabulary management work enables a three-stage workflow across your organisation, illustrated below.
How your work enables others:
- You (Catalogue Manager): Create and manage vocabularies to maintain consistency across your organisation. You can only delete vocabularies that are not in use.
- Editors: Apply your vocabulary terms when creating or editing dataset records, ensuring standardised metadata.
- Data users: Benefit from improved search and filtering capabilities, thanks to the consistent terminology you maintain.