{"id":4926,"date":"2022-08-29T16:44:57","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T20:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/data-integration\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2022-09-01T10:13:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T14:13:43","slug":"data-catalog-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/data-integration\/data-catalog-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"A Data Catalog Definition and Integration Strategy Roadmap"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Data<\/p>\n

This is part of Solutions Review\u2019s Premium Content Series, a collection of contributed columns written by industry experts in maturing software categories. In this submission, Boomi<\/a> Chief Innovation Officer Ed Macosky offers a data catalog definition, explainer, and how to incorporate one into your organization’s integration strategy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SRData drives a business, plain and simple. Today\u2019s businesses have vast quantities of data, and it\u2019s everywhere. Forrester reports that between 60 and 73 percent of enterprise data goes unused for the purpose of analytics. In many cases, the data in question is unknown or dormant, meaning it\u2019s also uncatalogued and inaccessible.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the big deal?<\/p>\n

Missing and\/or inaccessible data creates problems; it can cause business leaders to make decisions based on incomplete or incorrect information. It results in missed business opportunities and could mean that sensitive data subject to regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA isn\u2019t being properly protected. Data catalog tools and software<\/a><\/strong><\/span> can help.<\/p>\n

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\"Download<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n

Data Catalog Definition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Data Catalogs Explained<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Similar to a library\u2019s physical or online catalog system that helps readers find and access a book they need, a data catalog is a complete inventory of data assets within an organization. A data catalog manages metadata, allows for rapid search and discovery, supports access control, and enables data governance. It leverages metadata to help data engineers<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, data stewards, and users within a business organize, secure, and find trustworthy data by identifying data type, classification, location, owners and editors, and more.<\/p>\n

A survey from Wakefield Research and Elastic found that over 50 percent of business professionals spend more time searching for files than doing actual work. This is a problem. Data catalog technology can help organizations improve their data readiness via transparent, searchable, quality data, and enable extensive company collaboration in the process. Providing a centralized repository enables organizations to bring together data from across systems, applications, and people to build a resource of trusted, complete, and current business intelligence. Data catalogs can also streamline operations by migrating, consolidating, and rationalizing data at the speed of today\u2019s business, with a customer-centric focus.<\/p>\n

When data is trustworthy, properly governed, and easily accessible by those who need it, the entire organization benefits through optimized operational efficiency, increased organizational trust, reduced risks, and lower costs.<\/p>\n

Data Catalogs Aid in Data Discovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Data catalog solutions allow users to import data sets, search and augment them, or add metadata by applying tags, all of which aid users in the data discovery process. Users can then see similar data sets in different solutions. This is especially important in mergers and acquisitions. Before two companies can become one, IT leaders must know what data exists and where it resides to integrate both companies’ data. Having a data catalog in this instance reduces liabilities associated with unknown sensitive data or personally identifiable information (PII) when the integration takes place.<\/p>\n

Another use case is self-service analytics where a centralized portal or data marketplace helps users find, understand, and trust democratized data \u2013 including master data \u2013 without IT intervention. Self-service analytics improve productivity and accelerate time to insights. Data catalogs can also help data stewards implement data governance, as they can effectively ensure the right people have access to the right data at the right time based on roles and established policies, preventing mismanagement of said data.<\/p>\n

Incorporating a Data Catalog into a Company’s Integration Strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are a few things to consider when incorporating a data catalog into a company’s broader data integration tools<\/a><\/strong><\/span> strategy: Look for a solution that has the following capabilities:<\/p>\n