{
  "id": "dwd_lk4rq6xm",
  "type": "term",
  "slug": "data-catalog",
  "title": "Data catalog",
  "summary": "A searchable inventory of data assets across systems, pointing to their metadata, owners and lineage.",
  "status": "draft",
  "classification": "public",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Shan Umasankar",
      "url": "https://dealwithdata.com",
      "role": "author"
    }
  ],
  "assisted_by": [
    "Claude"
  ],
  "scales": [
    "personal",
    "business",
    "enterprise"
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "metadata catalog"
  ],
  "broader": [
    "dwd_gubdecks"
  ],
  "related": [
    "dwd_wg5zzqg2"
  ],
  "created": "2026-10-07",
  "updated": "2026-10-07",
  "version": 1,
  "url": "https://dealwithdata.com/glossary/data-catalog/",
  "markdown_url": "https://dealwithdata.com/glossary/data-catalog.md",
  "body_markdown": "A data catalog answers *what data exists, and where?* It indexes datasets and fields across many systems and connects each to its [[business-glossary]] terms, owners, [[data-lineage]] and quality. People use it to find data; increasingly, AI agents use it to ground themselves.\n\n**Example:** searching \"loan balance\" returns `LOAN_DTL.OUTSTANDING_BAL_AMT`, its definition, its owner, and the reports it feeds.\n\n**Not to be confused with** a [[data-dictionary]], which documents one system in depth.\n"
}