A Hifz record’s data dictionary means: every field’s name, meaning, and writing rule — on one page. Why needed? Teacher changes, software changes, or reconciling two departments’ reports — every dispute starts as a disagreement about what a field means. With a dictionary there is no dispute; everyone reads the same document.

What to verify: field definitions and institution-specific terminology

Each row of the dictionary carries four things:

Field Definition (this institution’s meaning) Writing rule Example
Sabaq today’s newly memorized portion one Juz-Surah-verse convention “21:Baqarah:142-152”
Sabqi re-listening of the last 3 days’ lessons list which lessons “all of the last 3 days”
Manzil the older Juz cycled today Juz number “Juz 15”
Tajweed score the ustadh’s assessment 1–5 + mistake type “4 — madd”
Leave an approved absence date range + approver “12–14 Nov, muhtamim”

Note: every definition is written as “this institution’s meaning” — not the neighbouring madrasa’s. The dictionary is the proof that “our sabqi means 3 days”.

A usable sample: building the field dictionary

Steps to build yours:

  1. List every field (combining the daily record and the monthly report).
  2. One-sentence definition each — including exceptions (“manzil doubles in Ramadan”).
  3. Fix the writing conventions — spelling, order, unit (pages vs verses).
  4. Make it the day-one reading for new ustadhs.
  5. On any change, bump the version date — old records stay under old definitions.

The Hifz data dictionary: workflow steps and limitations

  1. Keep it small — more than 10–15 fields makes entry a burden.
  2. Keep it bilingual (Bangla + English terms beside) — it reconciles in both software and reports.
  3. Re-read every six months — practice changes require dictionary changes.
  4. Limitation: writing the dictionary is not enough — verify that fields show the definition beside them at entry time (tooltip/help in the software).

Data dictionary: questions to ask before your demo

  • Can field names be changed to match our dictionary?
  • Is there an option to show definitions beside fields?
  • Will our terminology appear in reports too?

See the glossary and the Hifz & Quran module for dictionary organization; the dictionary’s role in handovers is in madrasa operations.

Data dictionary FAQ

Is a dictionary only for large institutions?

It is most valuable in small ones — one ustadh change reveals the cost of a memory-based system.

If the software’s field names cannot be ours?

Keep a mapping in the dictionary: our name ↔ software name — both documented as meaning the same thing.

Nothing seems removable — all fields feel necessary?

Remove any field not filled daily — unfilled fields make the dictionary uncomfortable and the entries incomplete.