---
title: "Guide: Suggested Glossary Types"
url: "https://atlan.com/resources/types-of-glossaries/"
description: "A guide to the glossary types you can create in Atlan (whole company, team or department, product or project) and the categories to organize them."
---

> Atlan is hosting Context Conference, bringing together the leaders and builders at the frontier of giving AI the context it needs to understand their business. It runs online on October 28, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET. Atlan co-founder Prukalpa Sankar opens and closes the day. Leaders from AstraZeneca, BNY and Verizon share why they invest in context and what they get from it. Registrants get early access to The AI Context Gap, a new study from MIT Technology Review Insights. Register: https://atlan.com/context-conference/

**Guide: Suggested Glossary Types.** An overview of the types of glossaries that can be created in Atlan, helping organizations design a flexible approach to managing business terms, metrics, and processes by combining multiple glossary types with targeted categories.

## About this guide

### Three main glossary types

| Type | Covers | Ownership and visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Company Glossary | Large-scale business concepts, metrics, and KPIs relevant across the organization | Owned by cross-functional leaders; visible company-wide |
| Team or Department Glossary | Terms and metrics specific to a department | Owned by subject matter experts; visible to the broader company |
| Product or Project Glossary | Terms, rules, and processes tied to specific initiatives, such as compliance frameworks or product-specific terminology | Aligns technical and business teams on the initiative |

### Categories within glossaries

- **Semantics:** terms, phrases, and acronyms that align language across departments.
- **Metrics:** KPI definitions, business logic, and equations, linked to datasets and dashboards.
- **Policy and process:** rules, procedures, FAQs, and compliance resources.

Combining glossary types and categories aligns business and technical users, increases trust in data, and embeds governance into everyday workflows.

## Related resources

- [Use Case Guide: Impact Analysis](https://atlan.com/resources/use-case-impact-analysis) (guide)
- [Use Case Guide: Compliance Management](https://atlan.com/resources/use-case-compliance) (guide)