A DataHub is often compared to a data catalog, but there are some key differences between the two. In this article, we’ll explore what a DataHub is, what a data catalog is, and whether a DataHub can be considered a type of data catalog.
What is a DataHub?
A DataHub is a central platform for finding, understanding, and accessing different types of data within an organization. The key aspects of a DataHub include:
- Centralized data discovery – The DataHub acts as a single source of truth for finding data across the organization.
- Metadata management – Detailed metadata is collected on datasets and data sources to enable discovery and understanding.
- Data lineage – The DataHub provides visibility into where data comes from, how it has been transformed, and how it is used.
- Access control and security – Role-based access control enables secure and compliant data access.
- Self-service access – Users can search, browse, and request access to data through self-service interfaces.
- Analytics & reporting – Usage analytics and data insight reporting provide visibility into data usage.
The goal of a DataHub is to break down data silos and empower users to find and understand all data that is available to them across an organization from a single platform.
What is a data catalog?
A data catalog is a repository of metadata that enables users to discover, understand, and consume data assets within an organization. The key aspects and capabilities of a data catalog include:
- Metadata repository – A catalog contains technical, business, and operational metadata on data assets.
- Search & discovery – Search and browse interfaces allow users to easily find data.
- Self-service access – Users can access catalog info and data without IT assistance.
- Data lineage – View relationships between data assets and flow of data.
- Enterprise glossary – Standardized business glossary provides common data definitions.
- Collaboration – Annotate, comment on, and share metadata to work jointly on data.
The primary focus of a data catalog is collecting and surfacing metadata to empower users to find and understand data that is available to them.
Comparing DataHub and data catalog capabilities
There is overlap between the capabilities of a DataHub and a data catalog. Both provide metadata management, discovery, lineage, and collaboration features. However, there are some key differences:
Capability | DataHub | Data Catalog |
---|---|---|
Metadata management | Yes | Yes |
Search & discovery | Yes | Yes |
Data lineage | Yes | Yes |
Enterprise glossary | Sometimes | Yes |
Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
Access control & security | Yes | Sometimes |
Self-service data access | Yes | Sometimes |
Analytics & usage reporting | Yes | No |
A key differentiator of DataHubs is providing the ability to directly access and analyze managed data, not just metadata. DataHubs also tend to provide more robust access control, security, and usage analytics capabilities compared to basic data catalogs.
Can a DataHub act as a data catalog?
Based on the definition and capabilities above, a DataHub can serve as a data catalog by providing metadata management, discovery, lineage, and collaboration features. However, a DataHub is more robust in additional areas like security, access control, self-service data access, and analytics.
The metadata capabilities of a DataHub are suitable for cataloging technical, business, and operational metadata to allow users to find and understand data assets. And having this well organized metadata in a central DataHub is extremely valuable for data discovery.
The breadth of metadata collected in a DataHub may not be as wide ranging as a dedicated data catalog focused solely on extensive business metadata. But for most use cases, the metadata capabilities of a DataHub are sufficient to support users in finding and exploiting data.
Some key advantages of using a DataHub as your data catalog include:
- Consolidating all data management capabilities into a single platform
- Providing security, access control, and data usage analytics lacking in basic catalogs
- Enabling direct access to data from the catalog
- Leveraging metadata to auto-generate technical assets like data pipelines
Should you use a data catalog or DataHub?
If your primary need is pure data discovery without robust metadata management, access control, or usage analytics, a basic data catalog may be sufficient. But the DataHub offers a much more extensive set of capabilities.
For most organizations, using a DataHub as your data catalog provides significant advantages. The ability to consolidate metadata management, discovery, security, access control, and data access into a single platform delivers tremendous value.
The DataHub serves as a full lifecycle data management platform, while also providing all the nécessary data catalog capabilities. As data analytics and AI initiatives creating greater data management complexity, having an integrated platform like the DataHub is extremely beneficial.
Conclusion
A DataHub provides overlapping data catalog capabilities like metadata management, discovery, and collaboration. But the DataHub offers much more, including security, access control, self-service data access, lineage, and usage analytics. For most organizations, leveraging the DataHub as your central data catalog and management platform delivers tremendous advantages over basic catalog tools.
The integrated set of data catalog, metadata management, access control, security, lineage, and usage analytics makes the DataHub a very compelling single solution for end-to-end data management. As analytics and AI complexity grows, adopting a DataHub to serve as your data catalog and management platform is recommended to handle these expanding data challenges.