Creating & managing custom attributes
How to create, edit and delete custom attributes at the organization level.
Overview
Custom attributes let your organization attach business-specific metadata to catalog assets. Admins create and manage attributes at the organization level and then users with asset edit permissions can apply those attributes to catalog objects.
The platform now supports multiple attribute types so admins can capture richer, strongly-validated metadata. Supported types:
Text — free-form string values (existing)
Integer — whole numbers only; optional min/max constraints
User — single or multiple user selection from your organization
Enum — admin-defined list of allowed values (each value can have an optional color badge)
Boolean — Yes / No
When creating an attribute, admins choose the attribute type and any type-specific validation or configuration (for example: min/max for Integer, single vs multiple selection for User, or adding enum values).
Who can manage custom attributes
Only users in the Owners/Admin group can create, edit or delete custom attributes. Regular users can view and apply attributes on assets if they have the normal Catalog edit/change-request permission for that object.
Create a new custom attribute
Go to Organization settings → Custom attributes.
Click "Add new attribute".
Fill in the fields:
Name: A short, descriptive key (e.g., "Business Domain", "Additional Info").
Display label (optional): Friendly label shown in the UI.
Description: Explain the attribute purpose and usage guidance. This will be shown as a tooltip next to the label.
Applicable asset types: Choose which catalog object types this attribute may be applied to (e.g., Dataset, Table, Column, Dashboard).
Type: Text (default) — other types available: Integer, User, Enum, Boolean.
Click Save.
Important notes
Attribute names should be unique within the organization.
Integer: Values must be whole numbers (no decimals).
Admins may set an optional minimum and/or maximum range; if both are set the min must be less than the max. Validation errors will prevent submitting invalid values.
User: Choose single-user or multiple-users at creation.
The picker lists organization users.
If you change a user attribute from multiple→single, the system will keep one user and remove others.
Enum: Define one or more allowed values when creating the attribute.
Each enum value must be non-empty.
Editing an enum value updates it for all objects that use it; deleting a value removes it from all objects.
Boolean: Simple Yes / No choice.
Text: Free-form text. Admins may set character limits or provide guidance in the description.
Edit an existing attribute
In Org settings → Custom attributes, find the attribute you want to edit.
Click Edit.
Update the label, description or applicable asset types.
Click Save.
Behavior and cautions
If you tighten the validation, existing values that don't comply will remain until edited.
If you remove asset types from the applicable list, existing values on those assets will be removed when the form is saved.
Delete an attribute
In Org settings → Custom attributes, click Delete on the attribute row.
Confirm the irreversible deletion.
What happens on delete
Deleting an attribute removes its values from all associated assets.
Best practices
Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., Title Case, prefixed domain when useful).
Add a description with examples so asset owners use attributes consistently.
Limit the number of attributes to those that deliver measurable value for discovery or governance.
Use cases
Business domain tagging: Add a "Business Domain" attribute (e.g., Marketing, Finance, Retail) so teams can add context to datasets and dashboards.
Classification notes: Short free-text notes like "PII: limited access" that provide quick context for reviewers (formal controls should still use classification policies).
Lifecycle state: Lightweight lifecycle tags such as "beta", "deprecated" or "candidate for deletion" to help teams during migrations.
Related documentation
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