Creating & managing custom attributes

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.

This feature is currently being rolled out in phases. Currently, only text attributes are supported. Future phases will add support for other data types and applying attributes to Glossary terms.

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

1. Go to Organization settings → Custom attributes.

   
2. Click "Add new attribute".

3. 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.

   
4. Click Save.

Notes

• Attribute names should be unique within the organization.

Edit an existing attribute

1. In Org settings → Custom attributes, find the attribute you want to edit.

2. Click Edit.

3. Update the label, description or applicable asset types.

4. 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

1. In Org settings → Custom attributes, click Delete on the attribute row.

2. 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

• Applying attributes to Catalog assets