Data Catalog

A searchable inventory of data assets, definitions, ownership, lineage, quality signals, and usage context.

Motivation

Data Catalog helps teams make explicit decisions, communicate intent, and coordinate work across technical and business boundaries.

Where it fits

Data Catalog belongs to the Data track and the Data Engineering layer.

Mental model

Treat Data Catalog as a structured way to connect goals, constraints, decisions, and implementation consequences.

Common mistakes

• Treating it as a title or document rather than an ongoing engineering practice.
• Applying a single template without adapting it to the organization and system context.

Related concepts

• Requires: Data Lineage
• Relates: Semantic Layer
• Relates: Data Governance