A-Z Data Fabric Glossary is your ultimate resource for mastering the essential terms, technologies, and best practices that define modern data integration, governance, security, and AI-driven automation. In today’s fast-paced digital economy, data is the foundation of innovation, decision-making, and operational efficiency.

A-E: Foundational Data Fabric Concepts

Term	Definition	Use Case Example
Active Metadata	Continuously updated metadata providing real-time insights.	ServiceNow uses active metadata for AI-driven analytics.
AI & Machine Learning Integration	Embedding AI/ML models into data workflows for automation and predictions.	IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog enhances data analysis with AI.
API Data Services	Services that expose data via APIs for seamless integration.	Microsoft Purview enables API-based data exchange between applications.
Anomaly Detection	Identifying outliers in data for fraud detection and security monitoring.	Google AutoML detects financial anomalies in real-time transactions.
Architecture	The structural framework of a data fabric, integrating multiple technologies.	IBM Cloud Pak for Data unifies on-premise and cloud data architectures.
Centralized Metadata Repository	A single-source-of-truth for metadata storage and governance.	Collibra centralizes metadata across hybrid cloud environments.
Compliance Monitoring	Automated tracking of regulatory adherence, including GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.	SAP Data Intelligence scans for compliance violations.
Cloud-Based Data Fabric	A cloud-native architecture for enterprise data management.	Google Dataflow orchestrates real-time cloud data processing.
Data Accessibility	Ensuring users can retrieve necessary data efficiently and securely.	Denodo enables virtualized, real-time data access.

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F-J: Data Integration & Governance Terms

Term	Definition	Use Case Example
Federated Access	A method that allows distributed systems to access data without centralization.	Starburst Data enables federated SQL queries across multiple databases.
FiveTran	A cloud-based ETL/ELT platform automating data integration.	Snowflake integrates structured/unstructured data through FiveTran connectors.
Governance, Security & Privacy	Enterprise-wide data policies ensuring security and compliance.	Microsoft Purview enforces data access policies via RBAC controls.
Golden Record	A single, trusted version of a data entity, eliminating duplicates.	Master Data Management (MDM) solutions ensure data accuracy in banking.
Hybrid Data Fabric	A cross-platform data fabric spanning cloud and on-prem environments.	IBM Cloud Pak for Data supports hybrid multi-cloud deployments.
IBM Cloud Pak for Data	AI-infused data platform for multi-cloud and hybrid architectures.	IBM Cloud Pak for Data enables AI-driven governance and compliance monitoring.
Intelligent Recommendations	AI-driven insights suggesting the most relevant data assets.	Neo4j Knowledge Graphs enhance AI-powered recommendations.

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K-O: Metadata & Orchestration

Term	Definition	Use Case Example
Knowledge Graphs	Data structures linking entities to discover relationships.	GraphDB & Neo4j power semantic search & AI-driven analytics.
Lineage Tracking	Visual representation of data origins and transformations.	Apache Atlas enables enterprise-wide data lineage visualization.
Matillion	Cloud-native ETL platform built for Snowflake, Redshift, and BigQuery.	Matillion accelerates cloud migration & real-time analytics.
Metadata Management	Organizing metadata to enhance data discovery and compliance.	Alation & Collibra manage metadata for hybrid cloud ecosystems.
Multi-Cloud Support	Seamless data operations across AWS, Azure, GCP.	Google Anthos integrates multi-cloud data fabrics.
Open Source Data Fabric	Non-proprietary, community-supported data integration tools.	Apache NiFi powers real-time data pipelines.

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P-T: Privacy & AI-Driven Analytics

Term	Definition	Use Case Example
Predictive Analytics	AI-powered data models forecasting trends & anomalies.	Google AutoML predicts customer purchase behavior.
Privacy Masking	Protecting sensitive information using dynamic data masking.	Immuta & Collibra enforce GDPR-compliant data privacy rules.
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)	Restricts data access based on user roles & permissions.	Microsoft Purview applies role-based data access policies.
Real-Time Data Access	Live data retrieval without latency or duplication.	TIBCO Data Virtualization enables instant data streaming.
ServiceNow Data Fabric	Unified IT and business data across the ServiceNow ecosystem.	Enables automated workflows & AI-driven analytics.

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U-Z: Unified Storage & Security

Term	Definition	Use Case Example
Unified Storage	Data storage consolidation for scalability and performance.	Azure Data Lake supports enterprise-wide storage unification.
Unstructured Sources	Non-tabular data such as images, videos, and logs.	IBM Cloud Pak for Data processes text, voice, and image analytics.
Virtualized Data	Data access without duplication or ETL movement.	Denodo Data Virtualization enables real-time analytics.
Workflow Automation	AI-driven workflows reducing manual intervention.	ServiceNow Flow Designer automates enterprise business processes.
Zero Trust Security	Continuous authentication ensuring strict data access control.	Palo Alto Networks applies Zero Trust policies to cloud workloads.

Other A-Z Data Fabric Glossary Resources

• Add Fabric URLs to your allowlist – Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• Artificial Intelligence A-Z Glossary
• Business Process Improvement Glossary
• CIO Definitions from TechTarget
• Gartner Glossary Terms
• Getting Started with Data Fabric – Data Fabric
• IBM Glossary of terms
• Microsoft Fabric fundamentals documentation – Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• Project Manageement Terms- Definitive Glossary of Project Management Terms | CIO
• ServiceNow Workflow Data Fabric: Explained in 60 Seconds
• Workflow Data Fabric – ServiceNow
• Workflow Data Fabric for the AI era – ServiceNow Press​