Data Discovery with Catalog Explorer
Who this is for:
Architecture / Concept Overview: Data Discovery with Catalog Explorer
Catalog Explorer surfaces metadata from Unity Catalog and enriches it with usage statistics, AI-generated descriptions, and user-contributed documentation.
%%{init: {"theme":"base","themeVariables":{"background":"#0B0E14","primaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","lineColor":"#5D6470","darkMode":true,"primaryColor":"#2E4A4A","secondaryColor":"#374151","secondaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","tertiaryColor":"#111827","tertiaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","edgeLabelBackground":"#1f2937"}}}%%
flowchart LR
classDef source fill:#3F4B59,stroke:#9CA3AF,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef ingestion fill:#5A4B36,stroke:#C9A86B,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef processing fill:#535072,stroke:#8E82B4,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef storage fill:#2E4A4A,stroke:#5FAFA8,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef serving fill:#3D5550,stroke:#6BB7AA,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef governance fill:#5A3F52,stroke:#C28BB0,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
USER[Data Consumer] -->|Browses / Searches| CE[Catalog Explorer]
CE -->|Reads| UC[Unity Catalog Metadata]
CE -->|Shows| DETAIL[Asset Detail<br/>Schema · Tags · Lineage · Preview]
CE -->|Uses| AI[AI-Generated Descriptions]
UC --> TABLES[Tables · Views · Volumes · Models]
USER:::source
CE:::serving
UC:::governance
DETAIL:::serving
AI:::processing
TABLES:::storage
*Figure 1 — Catalog Explorer reads Unity Catalog metadata and presents it with AI enrichment for data consumers.*
The detail page for a table aggregates schema, sample data, tags, lineage, and quality metrics in one view.
%%{init: {"theme":"base","themeVariables":{"background":"#0B0E14","primaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","lineColor":"#5D6470","darkMode":true,"primaryColor":"#2E4A4A","secondaryColor":"#374151","secondaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","tertiaryColor":"#111827","tertiaryTextColor":"#E0E6ED","edgeLabelBackground":"#1f2937"}}}%%
graph TD
classDef source fill:#3F4B59,stroke:#9CA3AF,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef ingestion fill:#5A4B36,stroke:#C9A86B,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef processing fill:#535072,stroke:#8E82B4,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef storage fill:#2E4A4A,stroke:#5FAFA8,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef serving fill:#3D5550,stroke:#6BB7AA,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef governance fill:#5A3F52,stroke:#C28BB0,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
DETAIL[Table Detail Page] --> OVERVIEW[Overview<br/>Description · Owner · Tags]
DETAIL --> COLUMNS[Columns<br/>Names · Types · Comments]
DETAIL --> SAMPLE[Sample Data<br/>First 100 rows preview]
DETAIL --> LINEAGE[Lineage<br/>Upstream · Downstream graph]
DETAIL --> HISTORY[History<br/>Delta transaction log]
DETAIL --> QUALITY[Quality<br/>Monitor metrics · Profiles]
DETAIL:::governance
OVERVIEW:::serving
COLUMNS:::serving
SAMPLE:::processing
LINEAGE:::serving
HISTORY:::source
QUALITY:::ingestion
*Figure 2 — Table detail page components: overview, columns, sample data, lineage, history, and quality metrics.*
Key Terms
Prerequisites and Setup
- Unity Catalog enabled on the workspace
- At least
BROWSEprivilege on catalogs you want to explore - A running SQL warehouse (for data previews)
Step-by-Step Implementation
Configuration Reference
| Feature | Access Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Browse catalogs | BROWSE privilege | Minimum privilege for discovery |
| View sample data | SELECT privilege + running warehouse | Executes a preview query |
| Add comments | Owner or MODIFY privilege | Comments surface in search and Genie |
| Apply tags | Owner or APPLY TAG privilege | Tags are key-value pairs |
| View lineage | BROWSE privilege | Shows last 1 year of lineage |
| AI descriptions | Workspace setting enabled | Auto-generates from schema analysis |