---
id: dwd_p6v7pmhk
type: term
slug: reference-data
title: "Reference data"
summary: "Shared lists of allowed codes and values used across systems."
status: draft
classification: public
authors:
  - name: Shan Umasankar
    url: https://dealwithdata.com
    role: author
assisted_by: [Claude]
scales: [personal, business, enterprise]
related: [dwd_wg5zzqg2]
created: 2026-10-07
updated: 2026-10-07
version: 1
---
Reference data is the set of allowed values that many systems share: country codes, currency codes, status codes, product categories. It changes rarely, matters everywhere, and causes quiet breakage when systems disagree.

**Example:** loan status codes `AC` (active), `CL` (closed), `CO` (charged off).