data architecture

n.An overall description of information elements and their relationships, especially in regards to their use to support broad functions, goals, objectives, or strategies.

Citations

US GAO 2002, p. 75 The framework for organizing and defining the interrelationships of data in support of an organization's missions, functions, goals, objectives, and strategies. Data architectures provide the basis for the incremental, ordered design and development of systems or subject databases based on successively more detailed levels of data modeling.