Data Catalog – what it is, how it works and why your company needs it 

Regulators are increasingly imposing multi-million fines on companies for a lack of transparency in data management. In Poland, for example, 74 fines totalling more than EUR 3.5 million have been imposed on Polish companies since GDPR came into force.

However, regulatory requirements are not the only factor influencing the need for better data management and quality assurance. Equally important are cybersecurity concerns, data control, data permissions and data usage, or typical business aspects such as the impact of data quality on the credibility of analyses and the accuracy of decisions, and thus on the direct financial result of the company.   

In order to meet these requirements, regulations known as Data Governance have been established. However, rules and regulations alone will be of no use if they are not practical in everyday work and, above all, if their application is disruptive and generates additional, redundant costs. Therefore, the IT world quickly developed dedicated products to support Data Governance. These products can be collectively referred to as the Data Catalog as one of the key components of Data Governance. 

What is the Data Catalog?

While Data Governance is considered as a set of rules, processes and standards for managing data to ensure its quality, security, regulatory compliance and effective use, the Data Catalog serves as a tool that supports this management by organising, classifying and providing access to information about data within the company. 

The aspects of Data Governance supported by the Data Catalog include: 

• Data quality – understood as the identification of quality issues by tracking data sources and validation rules;
• Access management – control who has access to data, through integration with permission systems;
• Metadata management – The Data Catalog contains detailed information about metadata, such as source, structure, data types and their relationships;
• Ownership and responsibility – defines data owners and stewards (Data Owner, Data Steward), which supports the assignment of roles;
• Integration and interoperability – the catalogue facilitates finding and connecting data from various systems;
• Education and awareness – helps business and IT users to better understand the available data and its context.

Benefits of implementing a Data Catalog solution

The implementation of a Data Catalog solution should quickly organise the flow of data in an organisation, which is often diverse and chaotic. The benefit of this organisation is the assurance that data are accessed only by the right persons, for example, protected personal data are only available to limited group of employees.

While Data Governance recommends assigning persons responsible for data, Data Catalog will help manage their permissions. As a result, it provides easy control over access to the company’s data structures. Simply restricting excessive access will reduce the risk of data leakage, for which there are severe fines, or damage the organisation’s reputation in the eyes of business partners. 

Data Catalog enables the identification of similar information across several systems and to develop a so-called Master Data describing a selected business domain based on various source systems.

Instead of uncertainty as to where to find selected information, which source to rely on for accuracy and up-to-date data, we gain a tool that points to the correct data source. In many cases, this significantly reduces the time needed for analysis and searching, for example, when creating a new report requested by a supervisory unit. 

Thanks to the built-in control and data verification mechanisms, inconsistencies, duplicated data or even missing data can be easily detected, even within ranges not provided for by the manufacturer of a system integrated with the Data Catalog. The mechanism will work to prevent data breaches and often costly data corrections in existing systems.  

Another area of benefits from implementing Data Catalog relates to data lineage identification. This is particularly useful for old reports or statements which, although still needed after several years, lack fully documented knowledge about their data sources.

Thanks to the solutions available in Data Catalog tools, it is possible to trace data lineage, not only between individual reports, but cross-sectionally from the source system through all the processes to which the data are subjected.

With a complete view of the data flow, we gain quick access to consistent information across the company and communication between departments is streamlined. The benefit is clear – faster and more secure decision-making along with improved collaboration between teams working with data. 

Evolution of Data Catalog solutions

Over the years, Data Catalog solutions have evolved through various levels of advancement. Four generations of Data Catalog can be distinguished.

• First generation – Manual data catalogues

Namely, simple data catalogues, often in the form of text files, Excel sheets or databases, where users manually documented metadata. Directly dependent on manual updating and very susceptible to errors and outdated data.

Example: Excel file

• Second generation – Classic Data Catalog tools, automated catalogues

These are dedicated software solutions for metadata management and data cataloguing. They offer simplified data search and classification, the ability to integrate with databases and basic access control mechanisms.

Example: IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog

• The third generation – Intelligent Data Catalogs with AI/ML

These have the ability to automatically detect, classify and enrich metadata using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Features include automatic data classification and tagging, semantic search (context-based) and support for cloud and hybrid environments

Examples: Alation, Microsoft Purview, DataEdo Data Catalog

• Fourth generation – Dynamic, integrated data governance platforms

Modern, comprehensive solutions that integrate Data Catalog, Data Governance, Data Lineage, Data Privacy and Data Quality in one place. Features include automation of data management, integration with data lakes, data warehouses and streaming data processing, dynamic metadata updates, DataOps mechanisms and real-time data management

Examples: Collibra Data Intelligence Cloud, Informatica Axon

Selected Data Catalog tools – comparison

Everything would be simple if there were a single tool available on the market that meets these requirements. However, there are many such tools, and the differences between them are often in the details. For many organisations, the decisive factors ultimately come down to the costs of implementation and maintenance of a given solution. 

Here are some popular tools for Data Catalog that support metadata management and facilitate the organisation of data within Data Governance: 

Commercial Data Catalog tools

• Collibra Data Catalog – Advanced tool for metadata management, system integration and Data Governance automation;
• Alation Data Catalog – An intelligent data catalogue using AI to facilitate data discovery and management;
• Informatica Enterprise Data Catalog – A powerful tool with features for automatic classification and integration with various systems;
• IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog – A solution from IBM that combines data cataloguing with analytics and AI;
• Microsoft Purview (formerly Azure Data Catalog) – Microsoft’s tool for cloud and on-premise metadata management;
• Dataedo Data Catalog – Polish product competing in terms of functionality with Microsoft Purview.

Open-source or free tools supporting Data Catalog functionalities

• Apache Atlas – A solution for metadata management, often used in the Hadoop ecosystem;
• Amundsen (LF AI & Data) – Developed by Lyft, it focuses on easy data discovery and metadata management;
• DataHub (LinkedIn) – A modern data catalogue with automatic metadata discovery and management;
• Metacat (Netflix) – A tool developed by Netflix to support metadata for various data sources.

Cost vs benefits – or how to choose the right Data Catalog tool?

In order to select a good and suitable tool, it is useful to define your own criteria for its evaluation and to give them weight. By applying these criteria to the list of tools mentioned above, we will narrow the selection down to 2-3 items, with the final decision largely dictated by budget considerations.

When selecting a Data Catalog solution provider, it is important to consider the following criteria:

• THE COMPANY AND ITS EXPERIENCE – time of operational experience, proven track record, structured implementation schedules;
• DATA CATALOGUE AND DISCOVERY – ability to automatically discover, catalogue and classify data, define and manage business terms, features that allow users to comment, share opinions, advanced search functionalities or finally an intuitive and user-friendly interface;
• DATA SOURCES AND INTEGRATION – seamless integration with major databases, integration with Azure Blob Storage and Azure Data Lake Storage, integration with enterprise systems, ensuring compatibility and integration with various file formats;
• DATA QUALITY – data profiling, data quality assessment, data validation rules, anomaly detection, monitoring;
• MASTER DATA MANAGEMENT – metadata management, version management, Entity Relationship diagrams, access management;
• ARCHITECTURE, SCALABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY – local option, ease of implementation, flexibility;
• COST PROVISIONALITY AND TRANSPARENCY – clear and transparent licensing cost rules, cost predictability for development of in-house systems.

Data Catalog – comparative analysis of selected solutions

The table below provides a quick comparison of a selection of selected, popular data cataloguing tools. We hope it is a good summary of the above considerations and will assist in your own analysis of the available systems.

Data Catalog implementation – executive summary

Implementing Data Catalog allows organisations to better manage their data, increase security and improve operational efficiency. The choice of the right tool depends on the specific needs of the organisation, with integration, automation and the costs of implementation and maintenance being key considerations. 

If your organisation is facing the decision of whether to implement any Data Catalog solution supporting Data Governance, we encourage you to get in touch.  

Based on the criteria we have prepared, we will help narrow down the list of options under consideration, recommending the one that will be most optimal for your organisation both functionally and financially.  

If required, we can assist you in implementing the selected tool, as well as carry out the initial cataloguing of your data structures.