Data catalogs are inventories of all the data assets in an organization. A data catalog contains the metadata that helps define the data type, the relationship between assets and more. Growing tech companies can harness data catalog tools to easily manage their data definitions across an organization.
With an accurate and updated data catalog, users can more easily access and understand the needed data. But what tools are right for your business? In today’s article, we’ll cover some of the top data catalog tools available in 2023.
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Collibra
Collibra’s Data Catalog tool makes it easier for organizations to find and understand data across sources. Users can connect business and technical data with column-level data lineage to add additional context to data insights. Collibra’s tool also includes features for data access management, data policies and lineage management.
Here are some of the benefits of Collibra Data Catalog:
- Data quality and pipeline monitoring
- No-code data policy building
- Centralize data assets for improved data access and discovery
- Automated data governance
Collibra's data catalog offers a demo for businesses. Pricing depends on the needs of your company.
Stemma
Stemma is a data catalog tool focused on building a self-serve data culture. It features tools for automated data documentation for improved data discovery and change management tools for greater visibility into upstream and downstream data assets.
Here are some of the benefits of Stemma:
- Automated data stewardship
- Table and column-level data lineage
- Engagement monitoring tools to foster the adoption and democratization of data
- Various tool and workflow integrations
Stemma offers companies a free demo. Pricing depends on the needs of your company.
SelectStar
SelectStar is a data discovery platform that enables automation for many data discovery-related tasks. With SelectStar, users can harness tools for data governance, metadata management and data discovery to improve data access and data-driven insights.
Here are some of the benefits of SelectStar:
- Automated data lineage, ERDs and documentation
- Column-level data lineage
- Automated popularity ranking of data
- Platform designed for highly technical users
Secoda
Secoda is a data catalog tool that provides organizations with an all-in-one platform for data management and discovery. Along with data cataloging, Secoda offers a data dictionary tool, data lineage, data sharing, data access management, data analysis and more. In short, Secoda makes your data easily searchable for all users in one collaborative and intuitive platform.
Here are some of the benefits of Secoda:
- AI powered search, lineage, and documentation generation
- Automated data lineage and documentation across tables and columns
- No-code data centralization on a highly scalable platform
- Contextual search results across tables, columns, dashboards, metrics and queries
- Enable self-service analytics for nontechnical users
- Out-of-the-box integrations with BI tools, data warehouse tools and more
Secoda provides companies with a free trial. The Starter tier of the platform is free, the Growth tier is $400 monthly, and the Business tier is $1200 monthly.
Alation
Alation Data Catalog utilizes business intelligence and machine learning to drive data culture and improve productivity. Alation also includes features for top-down data governance and enterprise wide collaboration.
Here are some of the benefits of Alation Data Catalog:
- Machine learning and business intelligence
- Integrated knowledge capture and enterprisewide communication
- Built-in SQL editor
- Intuitive integrations for data sources and business tools
Alation Data Catalog offers a demo to companies that are interested in learning more. Pricing depends on the needs of your company.
Castor
Castor is an automated data catalog platform. Castor makes it easy for team members to collaborate and share data in real time and automate documentation. Castor also offers features for column-level, cross-system lineage automation, data governance and AI data mapping.
Here are some of the benefits of Castor:
- Automated data documentation and lineage
- Feedback loops in the Castor dashboard for real-time collaboration
- Sync documentation from data warehouses, BI & data quality tools, dbts, CSVs and Excel files.
- Slack notification system for capturing tribal knowledge
- Explore data stacks based on user behavior
Castor provides companies with a free trial or a demo. Pricing is $10,000 yearly for the Starter tier, and higher tiers use custom pricing.
Atlan
Atlan is a traditional data catalog. Atlan enables easy and intuitive self-service analytics through its data discovery tools. Atlan also offers tools for data lineage, data governance and more.
Here are some of the benefits of Atlan’s Data Catalog tool:
- Searchable assets linked to business metrics
- Data discovery through SQL syntax
- Companion Sidebar for discovering trust signals
- Sync documentation from data warehouses, BI & data quality tools, dbts, CSVs and Excel files.
Atlan will demo its product for your business. Pricing depends on the needs of your company.
Amundsen
Amundsen is an open-source data discovery and metadata engine. Amundsen allows users to see automated and curated metadata and easily share data context with other team members. It also supports numerous integrations to fit in your current data stack.
Here are some of the benefits of Amundsen
- Open source
- Automated metadata and documentation
- Easy to integrate with other major data tools
- Automated context sharing
- Simple text search for data
Amundsen was open-sourced by Lyft and is available to use
Why data catalog tools are useful
Organizations spend a lot of money and resources on data, so it’s natural to assume that they would want to make the most of the data they collect. Data management and data catalog tools allow organizations to leverage and organize their data, so they can drive insights and maximize the potential of their data.
Let’s go over some of the primary reasons that data catalogs are useful:
- Discovery — With data catalogs, data discovery is enabled for technical and non-technical users alike. Data catalogs provide metadata and description to define data, making it easier to organize and find.
- Collaboration — Data catalogs help organizations centralize data, reducing data silos and enabling more collaboration between users and teams. Users have the tools they need to share knowledge and insights.
- Data Governance — Centralizing data also makes it easier to manage data access and authorize the right users. This can also help businesses maintain compliance with relevant industry regulations.
- Productivity — Hundreds of hours can be saved when users can quickly and easily find the needed data. It also puts less work on data teams since nontechnical users can access self-service analytics.
- Cost savings — Data catalogs can also help organizations save money. With data catalogs, there’s less time spent finding data or dealing with data inaccuracies. Data catalogs also help organizations make the most of their data investments.
Overall, data catalogs play an important role in enabling organizations to make better use of their data and drive insights that can help inform business decisions.
How to choose the right data catalog tool for your company
When choosing a data catalog tool, there are several factors you should consider. Here are some steps to take to choose the best tool for your business:
- Consider Your Needs — First, it can be helpful to clearly outline the needs and goals of your business and what you expect from your data catalog tool to help you achieve these goals. Talking to your data team and other decision stakeholders can help you outline these goals. Once you have your goals in mind, it will be easier to narrow down the selection of potential tools.
- Compare Tools — Next, you can compare the different data catalog tools. Take a look at the different features and see how they can help you reach your data goals. See if the tools have capabilities outside of data cataloging and if those features are important to you. You should also keep your budget in mind, as the price of each tool can vary.
- Seek Feedback — Once you’ve lined up a few options, it’s good to seek some second opinions. Talk to your data team and other team members to get feedback about each of your options. This could help you narrow down your options even more before you start trying tools out. It’s also a good idea to ask peers in your industry about their experience with data catalog tools and if they have any recommendations.
- Demo Your Tool — Now you’re ready to give the tools you’ve selected a trial run. Most companies offer free trials or demos to show you how their tool could help your organization. Make sure your team members can test these tools too. This allows you to get a comprehensive picture of each option and see if your team has any favorites.
Choosing the right data catalog tool is important, so make sure to weigh your needs and goals when making your decision.
Try Secoda for Free
Organizations looking for an all-in-one data management and data discovery tool should choose Secoda. Secoda has the data catalog features you need to organize and centralize your data, along with numerous tools for other aspects of data management. Businesses that want to easily enable self-service analytics in their organization can trust Secoda to get them there. Schedule your demo or try Secoda for free today to see if our platform is right for you.
