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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Patient Information Reporting System (NPIRS)

Meta Data

What is Meta Data?

The simplest definition of meta data is "data about data."

Meta data is data describing data, detailing its use throughout the enterprise. Meta data may include, but is not limited to, the location of the data in the database, descriptions of the content or use of the field, relationship of the data to other data within the database, and the structure of the database as a whole.

NPIRS currently provides meta data information in the form of a data dictionary that describes the stored name, conventional name, and description of the basic information that NPIRS collects, as well as graphical data models that reflect the inter-relationship of storage locations (tables).

Learn more about the data elements that are collected by the NDW and available in the General Data Mart: Meta Data Web Site