Glossary
What is data catalogue?
A data catalogue is a searchable overview of the data sources, tables and reports in an organisation, with descriptions, owners and often the origin of the data as well.
Data catalogue explained
A data catalogue works like a search engine for your organisation's data. You search for "revenue" and see which tables, reports and definitions exist, who owns them and how recent the data is. That stops people rebuilding something that already exists, or using the wrong figure.
Modern catalogues scan databases and BI tools automatically to collect metadata and lineage. The business side, such as descriptions and owners, still has to be filled in and maintained by people. Well-known examples include Microsoft Purview, Collibra and open-source tools such as DataHub.
For an organisation with a handful of sources and one data warehouse, a full catalogue is often too heavy. A well-maintained data dictionary and an overview of the main reports and KPI definitions already deliver much of the value.
Example
A new analyst at Acme Groothandel searches the data catalogue for "customer margin". She finds the certified table in the data warehouse, the definition recorded by the controller and the dashboard that already uses the figure, and does not have to work anything out again.
Data catalogue in ENABLE
ENABLE has no data catalogue. It does compile a data dictionary of the data warehouse for each organisation, which the AI in the SQL Explorer uses, and users see an overview in the portal of the dashboards and apps they have access to.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a data catalogue and a data dictionary?
A data dictionary describes what each table and column contains. A data catalogue is broader: a searchable overview of all data sources, reports, owners and often the origin of the data.
Do you need a data catalogue?
With many data sources, teams and reports, a catalogue helps you keep an overview. With a small number of sources and one data warehouse, a good data dictionary is often enough.
What is Microsoft Purview?
Microsoft Purview is a set of Microsoft services for data governance, compliance and security, including a data catalogue and lineage. It can scan Azure sources and Power BI, among others.
Further reading
- SolutionBuild a data platform: layers, choices and approachFrom sources to dashboards and AI: how a data platform is structured.Read more
- SolutionAI governance: control over data, AI and accessWho sees what, what the AI receives and who approves: practical AI and data governance.Read more
- ResourcesText-to-SQL explained: AI on your databaseText-to-SQL is a technique in which an AI model converts a question in plain language into an SQL query, which is then run on a database. The language model writes the query; the database supplies the figures. How well that works depends mainly on the quality of your metadata and on the safeguards around execution, such as read-only access, timeouts and row limits.Read more
- ResourcesGlossary of data, AI and Power BI termsWhat is a service principal, row-level security, a semantic model, text-to-SQL or RAG? Short, clear definitions of terms around data, Power BI and AI.Read more
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