Custom Attributes - Use Case Examples

Use cases for you to add custom attributes to your metadata in the Catalog.

This page provides practical examples for adding enrichment metadata to the Catalog. These custom attributes are intended to enrich discovery, search, and consumer guidance.

Who this page is for

• Data governance stewards and business analysts who tag and enrich datasets for discoverability.

• Data catalog admins and platform owners implementing metadata fields and UX for consumers.

Examples of attributes

Example application of custom attributes onto an asset.

Attribute	Type	Purpose / Notes
Legal Jurisdiction of Processing	multi-select enums	Helps consumers know where data is processed or stored; useful for search and filtering
Highlighted Business Contacts	list of user	Supplement primary owners — e.g., Subject Matter Experts, Business Contacts, Project Leads
Highlighted Business Contacts	list of users	Supplement primary owners — e.g., Subject Matter Experts, Business Contacts, Project Leads
Business Category / Domain	multi-select enums	High-level business grouping (e.g., Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain) to improve discovery and lineage grouping
Data Sensitivity Category (informational)	multi-select enums	Steward-curated sensitivity label purely for guidance (does not replace classification fields)
Regional Audience / Consumer Group	multi-select enums	Who the dataset is primarily intended for (e.g., EU Analytics Team, US Ops) to guide request routing and discovery
Masking / Pseudonymization Notes	plain text	Short note describing whether masking/pseudonymization is recommended or commonly applied (informational)
Allowed Processing Purposes (informational)	plain text	Describes common or recommended business uses to guide consumers; not an access control list
Third-party Processors Involved (informational)	plain text	Informational list of known external recipients — helps reviewers and consumers; link to vendor record if available
Retention Guidance Key	plain text	Human-friendly retention guidance pointer (links to policy; not an automated key unless you wire it to systems)
Gloss / Consumer Guidance	plain text	Short free-text guidance: intended uses, known caveats, common pitfalls, query examples for consumers

Use case 1 — New dataset onboarding (enrichment & discoverability)

Purpose: enrich a newly registered dataset so internal consumers can find and understand it quickly.

Steps for the steward:

1. Inspect the registration form or dataset record submitted by the engineering owner.

2. Add Business Category / Domain to group the dataset (e.g., Finance > Revenue).

3. Add Highlighted Business Contacts to point to subject matter experts or project leads beyond the primary owner.

4. Add Legal Jurisdiction of Processing as an informational tag to help consumers filter for region-specific data.

5. Populate Gloss / Consumer Guidance with a short note describing common queries, expected freshness, and any caveats.

Platform recommendations:

• Show the enrichment fields prominently in the dataset header (contacts, domain, jurisdiction, and one-line guidance).

• Use these tags to improve catalog search, filters, and suggested related datasets.

Expected outcome: internal consumers can quickly find the dataset, know who to contact, and see a short guidance snippet before requesting access.

Use case 2 — Consumer discovery and quick screening

Purpose: help requestors and stewards quickly decide whether a dataset is worth requesting or exploring further.

Attributes used: Gloss / Consumer Guidance, Business Category / Domain, Legal Jurisdiction of Processing, Highlighted Business Contacts.

Steps for the steward:

1. Ensure the Gloss / Consumer Guidance contains a short summary and example queries so requestors can self-screen.

2. Use Business Category / Domain and Legal Jurisdiction to surface the dataset to relevant teams via filters and saved searches.

3. If the requestor still needs access, they can use the Highlighted Business Contacts to ask clarifying questions before submitting a formal request.

Platform recommendations:

• Show the one-line Gloss in search results and dataset previews to reduce unnecessary access requests.

Expected outcome: fewer low-value access requests; consumers make better-informed requests aligned to business context.

Use case 3 — Tagging for retention guidance (informational)

Purpose: add lightweight retention guidance to datasets so consumers and stewards know typical retention expectations.

Attributes used: Retention Guidance Key, Gloss / Consumer Guidance.

Steps for the steward:

1. Add Retention Guidance Key with a short human-friendly pointer to the applicable policy (e.g., "See RET-PII-90 in Retention Playbook").

2. Add a note in Gloss describing whether retention is commonly short or long and who to contact for questions.

Platform recommendations:

• Use Retention Guidance Key in reports to help stewards prioritize formal retention audits.

Expected outcome: greater clarity about expected retention timelines without enforcing automated deletion unless integrated with policy systems.

Use case 4 — Informational vendor notes for exports

Purpose: document known third-party processors and vendor notes to help reviewers and requestors prepare exports.

Attributes used: Third-party Processors Involved (informational), Masking / Pseudonymization Notes, Gloss / Consumer Guidance.

Steps for the steward:

1. Populate Third-party Processors Involved with vendors commonly receiving the dataset and a short note if the vendor requires specific handling.

2. Add Masking / Pseudonymization Notes describing typical transformations previously applied or recommended.

3. Add an export-prep note in Gloss linking to vendor teams or vendor pages.

Expected outcome: reviewers and requestors have a quick reference about vendors and recommended transformations.

Use case 5 — Data quality notes and consumer expectations

Purpose: record expected data quality and refresh cadence as enrichment so consumers understand limitations.

Attributes used: Gloss / Consumer Guidance, Data Quality SLA / Refresh Cadence (informational), Business Category / Domain.

Steps for the steward:

1. Add a short Data Quality SLA / Refresh Cadence note (e.g., "Refreshed nightly, expect up to 1% nulls in field X").

2. Capture typical known caveats in Gloss (e.g., late-arriving data, timezone issues).

3. Add Business Category to help route issues to the right teams.

Platform recommendations:

• Surface the Gloss and refresh cadence prominently so consumers see expectations before they use the data.

Expected outcome: consumers have clearer expectations and fewer surprise incidents; triage is faster because the right teams are pre-identified.