A robust catalog improves data discovery, governance, security, and integration—but comparing solutions can be overwhelming.

The Data Catalog Evaluation & Scorecard Worksheet provides two structured approaches to assess vendors based on critical features, usability, and organizational priorities.

Two Approaches to Evaluating Data Catalogs

Option 1: Feature-Based Evaluation

This worksheet breaks down key data catalog capabilities into detailed feature categories, allowing teams to compare vendors based on required and optional functionalities.

Key Evaluation Areas:

• Metadata Management & Organization – Search, tag, annotate, and classify data assets for better discoverability.
• Data Lineage & Impact Analysis – Track data flow, assess dependencies, and identify transformation logic.
• Privacy & Security – Automate classification of sensitive data, enforce access controls, and track security policies.
• Governance & Quality Management – Define policies, monitor metadata changes, and manage data quality.
• Integration & Source Connectivity – Evaluate compatibility with databases, cloud storage, ETL pipelines, BI tools, and governance frameworks.
• User Experience & Collaboration – Assess usability, custom workflows, collaboration tools, and approval processes.
• Vendor & Pricing Review – Compare vendor support, licensing, scalability, and roadmap alignment.

This approach enables a feature-by-feature analysis, helping teams differentiate between tools based on required vs. optional capabilities.

Option 2: Weighted Scoring Evaluation

This method applies a quantitative scoring system, allowing teams to assign priority levels to different evaluation criteria and generate an overall vendor score.

Key Evaluation Areas:

• Connector Support – Determine integration compatibility with databases, data lakes, ETL tools, and SaaS platforms.
• Metadata & Profiling Automation – Compare automated metadata scanning, profiling, and AI-based classification.
• Business Glossary & Standardization – Evaluate terminology standardization, linking metadata, and glossary automation.
• Data Lineage & Impact Tracking – Review lineage visualization, transformation tracking, and impact analysis depth.
• Search & Discovery – Assess full-text search, semantic filtering, AI-powered query assistance, and search integration.
• Security & Compliance – Review role-based access controls, encryption, audit logging, and regulatory adherence (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2).
• Workflow & Automation – Compare built-in approval workflows, data certification, curation capabilities, and change tracking.
• Vendor Viability & Pricing – Score vendors on licensing flexibility, support services, financial stability, and market adoption.

This worksheet provides a weighted evaluation that adjusts scores based on the importance of specific capabilities, ensuring a data-driven selection process.

How These Worksheets Support Your Evaluation

✔ Side-by-side vendor comparison based on structured selection criteria.

✔ Eliminates subjective decision-making by quantifying usability, security, and governance features.

✔ Ensures cross-team alignment by addressing both business and IT priorities.

✔ Facilitates a transparent selection process with weighted scoring for key decision factors.

Whether your team prefers a detailed feature-by-feature assessment or a customized scoring model, these worksheets offer a structured way to evaluate data catalog solutions with confidence.

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