Data catalogs enable teams to manage and organize data. Modern data management has introduced two distinct types of data catalogs: technical and business data catalogs. Both ensure that data is accessible, governable and actionable. In this blog, we’ll dive into the key differences between technical and business data catalogs, highlight their unique features and explore best practices for leveraging catalogs to create a unified modern data management strategy.

What is a technical data catalog?

Technical data catalogs enable data engineers, architects and IT administrators to manage and discover technical metadata for specific tools and data sources. The core capabilities of technical data catalogs include organizing metadata, understanding detailed data lineage and managing data integration workflows.

This class of tools excels at providing granular detail into data movement through different systems. Users of technical data catalogs can search through metadata based on attributes like schemas, tables, columns and data types. These catalogs also implement fine-grained access controls, making them ideal for handling security and compliance challenges in technical environments.

Examples of technical data catalogs include AWS Glue, Polaris Catalog and Unity Catalog. They are essential for data lakes using open table formats like Apache Iceberg, ensuring robust query execution and technical data governance. As data infrastructures handle larger throughputs of data, managing technical metadata will only become more important. 

What is a business data catalog?

Business data catalogs, on the other hand, enable everyone in an organization to discover, govern, assess the quality of and understand the context of data assets. These catalogs are designed for analysts, data stewards and governance teams who require intuitive tools for making sense of data in order to support decisions.

Business data catalogs serve as a semantic layer connecting data structures with what they represent in the real world, providing features such as searchable business glossaries, high-level data lineage across domains and tagging of data assets based on business relevance. These capabilities bridge the gap between technical data assets and business insights, making data accessible and usable for informed decision-making.

Examples of business catalogs include Atlan, Collibra, Alation, DataHub and Snowflake Horizon. They integrate seamlessly with BI tools and dashboards, making them key for organizations intent on democratizing data access.

What use cases do each serve?

Technical and business data catalogs serve complementary use cases and organizations will eventually need both as the scale of engineering and analytical demands alike grow. The business data catalog will be the single source of truth for data assets across the organization, while the technical data catalog surfaces technical metadata to the business catalog. Some catalog providers combine technical and business catalog features in one solution. 

How does Fivetran work with my data catalog?

Fivetran enhances data management by seamlessly integrating with both business and technical data catalogs, making data more accessible, discoverable and manageable. The Fivetran Platform Connector offers businesses an efficient way to share detailed metadata, both technical and business, enabling streamlined auditing, monitoring and troubleshooting. It delivers data lineage and access details, allowing businesses to track where their data came from, where it’s stored and who accessed it. Fivetran Platform Connector support for both technical and business data catalogs ensures comprehensive data visibility across the organization.

Additionally, Fivetran’s Managed Data Lake Service elevates the functionality of data lakes with native integrations and hosted technical data catalogs, ensuring they deliver the structured efficiency of data warehouses while avoiding becoming unmanaged data swamps. By automating metadata management, Fivetran enhances data discoverability, simplifies governance compliance, and eliminates common barriers to data lake adoption. Fivetran has native integrations with catalogs like AWS Glue, Unity Catalog, with Polaris Catalog, providing a streamlined experience that supports robust data management and accessibility.

Ultimately, Fivetran’s comprehensive catalog integrations empower organizations to maximize the full potential of their data. 

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