Manage Data
Metadata
Metadata is the documentation layer on top of every dataset in the Catalog — descriptions, ownership, tags, sensitivity, and shared glossary terms. None of it is required for a dataset to be queryable, but it is what makes a dataset findable and trustworthy to everyone else on your team.
Quick Start
- 1
Open a dataset from the Catalog
Metadata is edited from the same detail view the Catalog links to — there is no separate metadata screen to find.
- 2
Add a description
A plain-language description is the single highest-value field — it is what search and the semantic layer both lean on most.
- 3
Set business and technical owners
Business owner is who to ask about what the data means; technical owner is who to ask when the pipeline feeding it breaks.
- 4
Apply tags and a sensitivity classification
Tags make a dataset discoverable by facet; sensitivity classification (e.g. public, internal, restricted) drives how it is treated elsewhere in the platform.
- 5
Define glossary terms (optional)
Link a column to a shared business term once, and every dataset using that term inherits the same definition.
Metadata fields
DescriptionFree-text explanation of what the dataset represents and how it should be used.Business ownerThe person accountable for the meaning and correctness of the data.Technical ownerThe person accountable for the pipeline or connection that produces it.TagsFreeform labels used for search and filtering in the Catalog.SensitivityA classification (e.g. public, internal, restricted) that downstream features can key off.Glossary termsLinks a column to a shared, organization-wide business definition.- Sensitivity classification is separate from row-level access control — see Permissions for who can actually query a dataset.
- The catalog's “Documented” and “Tagged” summary tiles are a direct read on how completely metadata has been filled in across your tenant.
- A description written here is exactly what the semantic layer and analysis suggestions read from — a better description makes those features noticeably sharper.