The data catalog is a powerful tool that provides a self-serve portal for users to find the datasets they need. It helps reduce time spent searching for information and enables the automation of metadata management, governance, and compliance. It can also help support a variety of business processes and be embedded in the workflows of data stewards, analysts and engineers.

When choosing a data catalog tool, look for a rich and easy-to-use search experience that is similar to Netflix, Amazon or other popular commercial online experiences. It should also have guided navigation and other collaborative features, including the ability to suggest changes to existing data sets and recommend new datasets based on user feedback and ratings.

Ensure your data catalog tool has connections to all of your enterprise-wide assets, whether they reside on-premises or in a public, private or hybrid cloud. Most modern data catalogs offer a range of connectors for various databases, data lakes and file systems. They can also integrate with existing data quality and governance tools and programs, such as business glossaries and metadata management.

Some catalog tools come with built-in analytics capabilities that are useful for both end users and data stewards, including trend analysis and predictive modeling. Others include functions for automating change detection, assessing data quality and flagging anomalies. Still others offer integrations with common workflow tools, such as Jira and Slack, that enable collaboration across data teams. One such example is Atlan, which first launched its data catalog tool in 2018, and bills it as part of a larger platform called Ataccama One that includes other data management, governance and management functions that are automated by AI.