Data Dictionary DD

[Kazim Meraj]

Data Dictionary

The Data Dictionary (DD) is the system catalog for the Teradata RDBMS. It
contains metadata: table, view and index definitions, parameters and attributes
of macros and stored procedures, resource usage statistics, and much more.
The DD is a system database—a repository containing data about user
databases and properties of those databases. The DD also contains a good deal
of administrative information about the Teradata RDBMS.
Unlike the system catalogs of nonrelational systems, the Teradata Data
Dictionary is a fully relational database that uses SQL as its data sublanguage
just like the user databases.

DD Objects
Among the objects which the DD defines and administers are the following:
• Database and user profiles
• System journals
• Security audit and logon information
• Error and message logs
• Archive information
• Lock journals
• Session status information
• Space allocation information
• Accounting information
• Database, table, view, index, stored procedure, and macro definitions

DD Users
The DD is useful to all of the following user categories:
• System administrator
• Database administrator
• Supervisory users
• Operations control personnel
• End users
This chapter describes the properties and capabilities of the Data Dictionary
(DD).