Semantic & Ontology Construction
Taxonomy, glossary, concepts, logical entities and relationships: one shared meaning.
Lesson 5 of 17 · Find it on the platform map
01 What it is
What this layer does
Semantic & Ontology Construction establishes one shared meaning for the enterprise: a taxonomy, a glossary of business terms, typed concepts, logical entities, the relationships between them and the business rules that apply. In SCIKIQ it is maintained through a governed ontology editor with maker-checker approval, and every object carries its provenance.
02 Concepts
Four ideas to hold on to
Taxonomy and glossary
A taxonomy arranges terms in a hierarchy; a glossary gives each term an agreed business definition. Together they settle what words mean and how they group.
Concept
A typed semantic contract for an idea the business relies on, stating what it is and how it may be used. It is more precise than a glossary entry and can be checked.
Ontology
The connected model of logical entities, their relationships and the rules that govern them. It describes the business as objects and links rather than tables and columns.
Provenance
A record of where each object came from, who changed it and on what evidence. It lets people judge whether to trust a definition and trace a dispute to its source.
03 In SCIKIQ
What the layer contains
04 What good looks like
Signs it is working
- Each business term has one approved definition, with an owner and the date it was approved.
- Changes to the ontology go through maker-checker review, and the approver is recorded.
- Duplicate terms and entities are detected and reconciled rather than left side by side.
- For any concept or entity, its source and supporting evidence can be shown.
05 Diagnostics
Questions to ask your team
- 1
Which of our key business terms have more than one definition in use today?
- 2
Who can change a definition, and who checks the change before it takes effect?
- 3
How do we find and resolve duplicate entities and terms across domains?
- 4
When a definition is challenged, can we show where it came from?
06 Keep going
Related reading
— Questions
Frequently asked
How is a concept different from a glossary term?
A glossary term gives a business definition in words; a concept is a typed semantic contract that states the idea precisely enough to be checked and reused.
What does maker-checker mean for the ontology?
One person proposes a change and a different person reviews and approves it before it takes effect, so no single edit alters shared meaning unchecked.
Why keep evidence on every object?
The evidence fabric records provenance for each object, so anyone can see where a definition or relationship came from and judge whether to rely on it.