The explosion of data sources in organizations, the heterogeneity of data or even the new demands related to data makes it essential to maintain the documentation of your information! However, enterprises continue to use older, more “traditional” methods to inventory and understand these new assets.
It is for this reason that Data Catalog solutions appeared in the market.
As you’ve probably noticed… there are many Data Catalog solutions available in the market! This profusion of offers leaves companies uncertain about which Data Catalog will best meet their expectations.
That said, on which specificities should you evaluate your future Data Catalog? We believe that you should keep in mind in your shortlist of solutions, at a minimum, these five founding principles:
1. One Data Catalog for all and all for one Data Catalog
Implementing a data catalog means having a metadata management strategy at the enterprise level.
In other words, acquiring a Data Catalog at a data storage level would lead to recreating well-known “data silos,” but this time, relative to metadata. It makes it, therefore, difficult and complicated to manage and integrate them in other systems.
A Data Catalog must become a reference point within your enterprise. The solution must connect to all your data storage or information systems from the most cutting-edge to those more traditional.
2. From declaration to automation
When evaluating your solutions, think of choosing an automated data catalog. An essential brick in metadata management, this feature will simplify and automate your information’s inventory as well as update them from your different databases in your future data catalog.
This is a simple way to make available accurate information to your data users.
3. Simple!
Simple does not mean complete!
In this case, we think of the word simple for future data catalog users. A “well-made” interface thought for non-technical users will allow the organization to better adapt and retain to a solution.
4. Progressively deploy a solution with the right support
To best convince your users of using such a tool, not only evaluate its capacity, but also its support system offered by the software editor (or its partners) to help you put into place a metadata management strategy within your Data Catalog.
For example, at Zeenea, we work with our clients each step of the way, and with each metadata source to maximize the value of our solution (automation, search engine, collaboration, etc.) alongside a pilot population, growing over time.
5. From passive to active metadata
Your future Data Catalog should not be a simple inventory of information. Think about the range possibilities today with this raw material! By providing a solution offering machine learning, thanks to research, profiling metadata and / or data from the tool, enrich day-to-day documentation as well as the meaning and uses of your data assets.
Thus, transform your metadata into enterprise assets
