XML data dictionary for multidimensional metadata modeling

In a Web-based e-Government and e-Commerce system, data acquisition and management is one of core functions. Usually, the amount of data in this kind of system is large, and the data model is very complex. Because the system requires and rules on data statistic often need to be changed, we must modify the data model and algorithms on statistics by changing the source codes. It will lead to frequent system update. Additionally, we must manage the data in the system and store them into the database because of the importance of data. So, how to implement the functions of data acquisition and storage based on this kind of data model is the research topic for software designers. In this paper, we will reform the existing definition of data dictionary, and present a whole new dictionary based on multidimensional metadata modeling for integrating data definition, data representation, and data checking and statistics together.