RESO Data Dictionary

What is the Data Dictionary? 

It’s Real Estate’s “Rosetta Stone”

The Data Dictionary serves as the real estate industry’s “Rosetta Stone” for real estate data. Hundreds of MLS, and other source providers, gather data. But what good is it if the data cannot be shared or understood? The Data Dictionary ensures that each system “speaks” the same language. It is the common standard that defines real estate data in consistent terms and data structures; a template data providers may follow to format its most common fields.

The RESO Dictionary has two purposes.

1. Serve as a non-RETS guideline for a national standard for the fields and look-ups (enumerations) in the MLS.
2. Common center for all expressions of fields and enumerations.

As an MLS reviews change, it is advised to consider the benefits of growing closer to the national standard. Not only will it make the effort of ensuring RESO compliance easier, it will also ensure that as listings progress through IDX and other aggregation points, the meaning of your data is not diluted or misinterpreted.

The Data Dictionary is broken down into the following tabs. Please review the following details and information on use of the dictionary.

• Meta-Definitions: This page should be reviewed first. It contains the definitions about the fields used in the RESO Dictionary to define the fields and look-ups.
• Recommendations: List of suggested Data Dictionary changes including discussion notes.
• RESO Dictionary: Each Data Dictionary resource will have its own tab containing fields and their defining details. Dictionary tabs include: Property, Member, Office, Media and History.
• Enumerations: This tab has the list of enumerations, or pick lists, that have been defined thus far. Keep in mind, that unless “locked” all lists are extensible.
• Deleted Elements: These are fields or enumerations that have been deleted from the dictionary.

An MLS will probably use a subset of the Data Dictionary, as not all Data Dictionary fields apply to every MLS.