Discovering data with OneLake catalog

1. Discovering data with OneLake catalog

A library needs more than a good collection; it needs an index. OneLake is no different. That's what OneLake catalog provides, and it's how we discover the items stored inside.

2. The problem of finding data

Imagine entering a library, asking for a book on a subject, and having the librarian point to four books with almost the same title. One is several years old, one is an unofficial summary, one covers only a single region, and one is the official textbook. Without more information, it's hard to know which to use. OneLake catalog helps with exactly this kind of problem: it's not just a way to open items, but a way to tell them apart.

3. What is OneLake catalog?

Think of OneLake catalog as the searchable catalog at the front of the library, an efficient way to discover what we have. It doesn't contain the books themselves; it tells us what exists, where it is, and what we should know about it. That makes it easier to find existing data, decide what to use, and judge whether it's good enough to reuse.

4. Accessing OneLake catalog

We access OneLake catalog from the panel on the left, where it has its own dedicated tab.

5. Item hierarchy in OneLake catalog

Some items in OneLake catalog have child items underneath them. For example, every lakehouse has a SQL analytics endpoint, which is displayed as its child item in OneLake catalog. The SQL analytics endpoint has the same name as its parent lakehouse. It is a read-only SQL view of the lakehouse tables, and we will query it in Chapter 3.

6. Metadata

For each item, OneLake catalog shows metadata such as its name, type, owner, description, workspace, and endorsement status. This helps us understand an item before opening or reusing it. Back on the library shelf, metadata is what tells those four near-identical books apart. Two semantic models may both be called Sales Analytics, and their metadata shows us who owns each one, where it lives, and whether one is the approved, trusted version.

7. Filtering data in OneLake catalog

Because a catalog can hold many items, it comes with three filters. To find an item by name, we use the Filter text box in the top-right corner. To narrow results to one Fabric item type, we use the type filter above the main panel.

8. Trusted data assets

The third filter narrows results by trust rather than by name or type. Earlier, we saw how endorsement statuses mark Fabric items as trusted. To show only endorsed items, we use the expandable panel on the left, just below the Explore tab.

9. Lineage awareness

Endorsement tells us whether an item can be trusted. Lineage answers a different question: where did this data come from? It shows how data moves through Fabric items, so we can trace the origin of information and see which items depend on it.

10. Let's practice!

Now let's practice using OneLake catalog to find an item and interpret the information shown about it.

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