Which component is used to align data across multiple applications with a shared meaning?

• A. Business glossary.
• B. Data catalog.
• C. Metadata.
• D. Shadow AI.

Answer: (A)

Aligning data across multiple applications with a shared meaning relies on a centralized, standardized vocabulary. A business glossary provides this repository of business terms, their definitions, synonyms, and owners, linking each term to the data elements that represent it. This shared meaning reduces ambiguity and supports governance, enabling consistent reporting and integration across systems because everyone references the same definitions for core concepts like customer, product, and revenue. A data catalog helps you find data assets and understand metadata, but its focus is on discovery rather than ensuring uniform business interpretation. Metadata describes data, often in technical terms, and doesn’t by itself enforce common semantics. Shadow AI isn’t relevant to aligning meaning.