Metadata model

Unlike traditional solutions, the trac platform is built around a structural metadata model which catalogues and describes everything on the platform. The model consists of two layers:

OBJECTS	The model’s structural elements. Each object type (e.g. models or data) has its own metadata structure
TAGS	Used to index, describe and control objects. Some tags are controlled by the platform, some are user-defined

Note

By recording object creation and tag modification actions in a time-consistent manner, the trac platform builds a comprehensive audit history of the entire platform and its contents.

Objects

All processes on trac are constructed using a combination of six object types.

SCHEMA	Defines the names, types, constraints, and relationships of fields in a Data object. Schema objects can be re-used across Data objects. Two sub-types are supported: Table and Structured (or ‘Struct’).
DATA	Collections of data records that are available for use on the platform. Data objects contain their schemas, stored either as part of the Data object definition or by mapping to a Schema object.
MODEL	Discrete units of code stored in a repository that have been made available for use on the platform. A Model metadata object refers to and describes a versioned unit of code stored in the repository.
FLOW	The blueprint of a complex calculation involving multiple models which trac can run on demand, represented as a graph. Flows exist only as metadata and do not refer to any external resource or asset.
JOB	A calculation or process that trac has or will orchestrate — for example, to execute calculation using a Model or Flow and some data inputs.
FILE	A discrete unit of digital information that is available on trac. Files can be used as job inputs, but trac cannot describe or assure the contents of a File.

Note

The term model schema refers to the set of schemas which describe a model’s inputs, outputs and parameters. This is not a separate object type, it’s part of the model object.