Managing databases is a challenge for most organizations. They have to manage a variety of data assets and these data assets often reside in silos. They are not well documented and are not easy to find.
Data catalogs help to simplify the process of data discovery. These catalogs contain data management and search tools that provide users with a comprehensive description of datasets. They also provide an easy-to-use search engine-like user interface. They can be natively embedded within a platform, or they can be standalone entities.
Data catalogs can be integrated with a number of analytics and BI tools. They can also be used to create a knowledge graph, which allows users to discover relationships between data assets. They can also be used to perform data quality assessment.
Modern data catalogs contain metadata, which allows data consumers to search and find data across the entire data landscape. This includes information on the data’s characteristics, such as value distribution and Personally Identifiable Information. It can also include the data’s origin, i.e. when it was created, where it was created, and how it was used.
Many data catalogs also allow users to create profiles for data consumers. This helps them understand how to use the data effectively. They can also add tips to the catalog, which can be shared with other users.
Data catalogs are essential to data governance. They can help organizations build trust in their data assets. They can help to eliminate silos, and provide a unified view of data assets across the enterprise.
