Explanation:

Metadata refers to the data that provides information about other data. It is essentially data about data. It describes the characteristics and properties of the data, such as its structure, format, source, quality, and meaning. Metadata helps in understanding and managing the data effectively.

Types of Metadata:
There are different types of metadata, including:
1. Descriptive Metadata: This type of metadata provides information about the content and context of the data. It includes details such as title, author, date, and keywords. Descriptive metadata helps in organizing and searching for data.

2. Structural Metadata: Structural metadata defines the organization and relationships between different components of the data. It describes how the data is structured, such as tables, columns, and relationships. Structural metadata is important for understanding the data's structure and its interconnections.

3. Administrative Metadata: Administrative metadata includes information about the data's ownership, access rights, and usage restrictions. It helps in managing and securing the data, ensuring proper access controls and permissions.

4. Technical Metadata: Technical metadata provides information about the technical aspects of the data. It includes details such as file format, data size, encoding, and compression. Technical metadata helps in understanding how the data is stored, processed, and transferred.

Importance of Metadata:
Metadata plays a crucial role in data management and analysis. It helps in:

1. Data Discovery: Metadata facilitates the discovery of relevant data by providing information about the content and context. It enables users to search, filter, and identify the data they need.

2. Data Integration: Metadata helps in integrating data from different sources by providing details about the data structure, format, and relationships. It ensures that data from multiple sources can be combined and analyzed effectively.

3. Data Quality: Metadata includes information about the data's quality, accuracy, and completeness. It helps in assessing and improving data quality by identifying any issues or inconsistencies.

4. Data Governance: Metadata supports data governance initiatives by providing information about data ownership, access controls, and usage policies. It helps in ensuring compliance with data regulations and maintaining data privacy and security.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, metadata is data about data and plays a critical role in managing and understanding data effectively. It provides information about the content, structure, ownership, and technical aspects of the data. Metadata helps in data discovery, integration, quality assessment, and data governance. Therefore, the correct answer is option B - metadata is data about data.