---
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
---
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.

**Example:** searching "loan balance" returns `LOAN_DTL.OUTSTANDING_BAL_AMT`, its definition, its owner, and the reports it feeds.

**Not to be confused with** a [[data-dictionary]], which documents one system in depth.