Template talk:M intro technology metadata

Pivoting: when a spreadsheet pretends to be a desktop

Whether substance or form matters more will depend on the application. There will be times where a hierarchy is an overriding priority. But even where we need to enforce a fixed hierarchy, the metadata approach can deliver this, by sequential “grouping” of artefacts according to fields. To group by column A, then Column B, then Column C, is to organise artefacts with a folder-style hierarchy. This is “pivoting”. It bridges the gap between the two metaphors by maintaining the flexibility and data-richness of the spreadsheet, while providing the familiar, hierarchical view that is characteristic of the desktop metaphor. The underlying data remains in its original, “flat” format.