system catalog

system catalog

[′sis·təm ′kad·əl‚äg] (computer science) An index of all files controlled by the operating system of a large computer.

system catalog

(database)The data dictionary of a DBMS. The systemcatalogue stores meta-data including the schemas of thedatabases. It is a mini-database, and is usually storedusing the DBMS itself in special tables called system tables. It maybe referred to as being "on line", as it isactive, and can be queried by users like any other table.