A data catalog for dbt helps document, organize, and manage your dbt models, sources, and metrics.
It connects directly with dbt to centralize metadata, track lineage, and make data assets more discoverable and understandable for teams. This integration ensures that analysts, engineers, and stakeholders can access reliable, well-documented data definitions—all within the context of their dbt workflow. By tying together dbt’s transformation logic with catalog tools, teams gain greater visibility and governance over their modern data stack.
Integrating a data catalog with dbt enhances collaboration, governance, and trust in data workflows. It enables teams to discover and document dbt models faster, reducing the time spent manually searching for definitions. A catalog also provides context and lineage, helping teams understand where data comes from and how it flows.
This transparency leads to better decision-making and fewer downstream errors. With consistent naming, metadata, and change tracking, teams can maintain version control and avoid accidental changes to core business logic.
Building a data catalog with dbt starts by enabling dbt docs generate to compile metadata and descriptions into a browsable site. From there, you can enhance documentation by adding column descriptions, tags, and ownership in your dbt project files.
For richer cataloging, integrate dbt with platforms like Secoda or Atlan, which automatically import dbt metadata and lineage. Sync your catalog with Git to maintain version control and ensure updates reflect the latest model changes. Establish standards for naming and tagging to maintain a clear and consistent catalog across teams.
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