datmak

Datmak is a term encountered in some data-management discussions to denote a hypothetical or proposed standard for marking data objects with metadata to support provenance, interoperability, and reproducibility. The word is often treated as a portmanteau of data and mark, sometimes with extensions implying a machine-friendly tagging syntax. In proposed models, datmak would allow datasets, files, tables, or records to carry lightweight tags describing origin, processing history, schema, licensing, and access controls, either embedded within data structures or provided as accompanying sidecar metadata.

There is no formal, widely adopted specification named datmak. It tends to appear in speculative or community-led dialogues, pilot projects, or as a concept in conversations about data stewardship. Critics note that multiple metadata standards exist, so a single datmak would need clear interoperability guidelines and alignment with established standards around provenance and metadata, such as PREMIS, Dublin Core, and schema.org data markup. Proponents argue that a unified marking mechanism could simplify data provenance, automation, and data exchange, particularly in machine learning workflows and data marketplaces.

In practice, datmak discussions often emphasize lightweight implementation, versioning, and traceability rather than heavy ontologies. Teams may implement ad hoc tagging or sidecar manifests to achieve similar goals, while awaiting broader consensus on a formal specification.

See also data provenance, metadata, data lineage, data tagging, Dublin Core, PREMIS, schema.org.