Reference Data Management: Quick Start

Get your first reference dataset up and running quickly to see immediate value.

Prerequisites

Before starting this quick start guide, ensure you have:

Access to the Reference Data module (Manage Data > Reference Data).
A sample dataset available in Data Catalog.
At minimum Editor role permissions to create and modify reference data tables.
A sample CSV or Excel file with reference data (such as country codes, product categories, or currency codes).

What you’ll accomplish:

Onboard reference data and establish governance.
Create data validation rules that prevent quality issues.
Set up automated distribution to external systems.
Enable self-service access for your organization.
Build a foundation for enterprise-wide data consistency.

Step 1: Onboard your first dataset

The fastest way to see value is importing an existing reference dataset.

For detailed instructions, see Create Reference Data Tables.

Go to Manage Data > Reference Data.
Select Create table.
Select Import from file.
Upload your CSV/Excel file (try with country codes, product categories, or any lookup table).
Review auto-detected settings - usually no changes needed.
Select Finish and import.

Result: Your data is now in Ataccama ONE, ready for governance and distribution.

Start with a small, stable dataset like country codes or currency codes for your first import. These rarely change and give you quick success.

Step 2: Establish ownership and governance

Good governance starts with clear ownership and role-based access control.

For detailed instructions, see Set Up Access and Governance.

Open your newly created table.
Go to the Overview tab.
Add a clear description explaining what this data is and how it should be used.
Set up role-based access by sharing the table:
1. Select the Share button.
2. In the sharing dialog, search for users or groups in your organization.
3. Assign appropriate roles:
  - Owner: Full control over the table, manages advanced settings and can share with others.
  - Editor: Focuses on data operations, can add, update, delete records and send for approval.
  - Approver: Has all Editor rights plus can review and approve changes before publication.
  - Viewer: Read-only access to published data.
4. Select Done to grant access, then Save to apply changes.

Result: Clear accountability, appropriate access controls, and context for anyone using this data.

Step 3: Publish and enable validation

Make your data available and start validating other datasets against it.

For more information, see Work with Published Reference Data.

Select all draft records in your table.
Select Request review and approve them.
Go to Catalog > Data Catalog > Published Reference Data.
Find your table - it’s now available platform-wide.
Create a validation rule to check other data against this reference table:
1. Go to Data Quality > DQ Rules.
2. Select Create Rule.
3. Choose Validation as the rule type.
4. Select your published reference table as the validation source.
5. Configure the rule to check that values in target datasets exist in your reference table.
6. Test the rule on a sample dataset to ensure it works correctly.

For step-by-step validation rule creation, see Create Validation Rules.

Result: Your reference data is now a source of truth, preventing data quality issues.

Next steps

Now that you have your first reference table running, consider these next steps:

Common Use Cases for situational guidance.
Get Started section for essential setup tasks.
Work with Reference Data section for daily operations.
Advanced Workflows for complex integration scenarios.
Review Best Practices for scaling your implementation.

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