What is a Data Catalog and Why Do You Need One?

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Your company’s data assets play a critical role in not only your daily operations but your potential to expand your business. Your company contains numerous valuable data sources both internally and externally. Within these data sources, you will find metadata resources that hold specialized information. Metadata refers to the key insights like keywords, tags, and data quality indicators that are contained within your company’s data assets. The key is to deploy the right data management tools that allow your team to unlock these critical insights.

Every single day that your business is operating, your data assets are expanding. It’s important to have the right data management tools to keep up with this growth. Scalability and organization are crucial when it comes to applying metadata in meaningful ways. One of the most common deployments for data management is the enterprise data catalog. The following are highly beneficial data catalog deployments and examples of their most advantageous use cases.

What is a data catalog?

The main purpose of a data catalog is to streamline the digital architecture that individual business users employ Within their daily operations. Data catalogs handle metadata management digitally in the same way that a physical library handles its inventory. Libraries depend on high levels of practical organization and categorization In order to work efficiently. The same concept applies to a digital data catalog.

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Data sources are wide and varied, and this can complicate workflows for your team. With the data catalog integration, you can be sure that your team is receiving the right data at the right time in order to improve productivity as well as customer interactions.

Rather than combing through various databases and data sets for the information they need, a data catalog consolidates relevant information and organizes it practically. Your inventory of data assets is an essential part of your business, but certain metadata needs a higher priority than others.

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Data value plays a key role in how and where it will be placed within the catalog. The distinct business context of individual data assets determines how and where they will be placed within the catalog. Business users can only benefit from deploying software solutions that include automation for organizing their datasets. Data quality shouldn’t have to suffer because of the vastness of your data sources. Utilizing an enterprise data catalog for your data preparation is the best way to ensure your team has all the tools they need to be successful.

Data Catalog Use Cases

There are several highly beneficial use cases for including enterprise data catalog integrations in your business. The first of which being improved collaboration and productivity among your team. In the past, your employees would have to sift through various data sets and interfaces in order to gain the information they need.

A modern data catalog simplifies several different workflows that previously were time-consuming and tedious. By deploying a data catalog system they no longer need to spend countless hours to complete tasks that can be done through efficient automation.

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Another critical use case for deploying data catalogs is data governance and regulatory compliance. Data security is arguably one of the most important aspects of running a business. Regardless of industry, you must prioritize data security and encryption for your customers. We’ve seen countless times how a data breach can negatively impact a business and its customers. If your customers can’t trust that their sensitive, personal data will be protected when they visit your site or shop with you, you will lose business. Trust plays an essential role in building lasting customer relationships, and data security and encryption is the best way to build this trust.

Ebonie Barden works across OI's platforms and deparments, developing content that reflects our readers' inquiries and needs in order to best engage and serve our diverse audiences on the topics that matter.

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