It would be great if you could include a new Parse tool to process Data Sets description (Meta data) formatted using the DCAT (W3C) standard in the next version of Alteryx.
DCAT is a standard for the description of data sets. It provides a comprehensive set of metadata that can be used to describe the content, structure, and lineage of a data set.
We believe that supporting DCAT in Alteryx would be a valuable addition to the product. It would allow us to:
- Improve the interoperability of our data sets with other systems (M2M)
- Make it easier to share and reuse our data sets
- Provide a more consistent way to describe our data sets
- Bring down the costs of describing and developing interfaces with other Government Entities
- Work on some parts of making our data Findable – Accessible – Interopable - Reusable (FAIR)
We understand that implementing support for this standards requires some development effort (eventually done in stages, building from a minimal viable support to a full-blown support). However, we believe that the benefits to the Alteryx Community worldwide and Alteryx as a top-quality data preparation tool outweigh the cost.
I also expect the effort to be manageable (perhaps a macro will do as a start) when you see the standard RDF syntax being used, which is similar to JSON.
DCAT, which stands for Data Catalog Vocabulary, is a W3C Recommendation for describing data catalogs in RDF. It provides a set of classes and properties for describing datasets, their distributions, and their relationships to other datasets and data catalogs. This allows data catalogs to be discovered and searched more easily, and it also makes it possible to integrate data catalogs with other Semantic Web applications.
DCAT is designed to be flexible and extensible, so they can be used to describe a wide variety. They are both also designed to be interoperable, so they can be used together to create rich and interconnected descriptions of data and knowledge.
Here are some of the benefits of using DCAT:
- Improved discoverability: DCAT makes it easier to discover and use KOS, as they provide a standard way of describing their attributes.
- Increased interoperability: DCAT allows KOS to be integrated with other Semantic Web applications, making it possible to create more powerful and interoperable applications.
- Enhanced semantic richness: DCAT provides a way to add semantic richness to KOS , making it possible to describe them in a more detailed and nuanced way.
Here are some examples of how DCAT is being used:
- The DataCite metadata standard uses DCAT to describe data catalogs.
- The European Data Portal uses DCAT to discover and search for data sets.
- The Dutch Government made it a mandatory standard for all Dutch Government Agencies.
As the Semantic Web continues to grow, DCAT is likely to become even more widely used.
DCAT
RDF
