Core Functions of a Data Catalogue

Metadata Management: Collects and organizes technical, business, and operational metadata for each data asset.
Data Discovery: Enables users to search and browse data sets, domains, and relationships across systems.
Business Glossary Integration: Connects terms and definitions to actual data fields for clarity and alignment.
Data Lineage: Tracks the flow of data across systems to support impact analysis, compliance, and debugging.
Data Quality Indicators: Surfaces quality metrics, profiling results, and rule compliance for assets.
Stewardship and Ownership: Assigns responsibility and accountability for data assets and domains.

Benefits

Benefits of an MDM-Aligned Catalogue

Improved Trust in Data: Users can verify source, meaning, and quality of data before use.
Faster Data Access: Reduces dependency on IT by enabling self-service discovery.
Regulatory Compliance: Supports audits, privacy requests, and traceability of sensitive data.
Cross-System Alignment: Links data from ERP, CRM, data lakes, and MDM into a single view.
Accelerated Analytics: Enables data scientists and analysts to find and trust data faster.

How to

Adopt catalog tools with strong API integration to ingest metadata from diverse systems.
Embed cataloguing into the data lifecycle—from ingestion to archive.
Promote catalog use with user training, champions, and regular engagement.
Govern catalog content with stewardship workflows and approval gates.