# Deprecation Guide: Tags → Column Tags

{% hint style="warning" %}
Tags will be deprecated in **early June 2026**. All existing tag data will be automatically migrated to Column Tags — no action required to preserve your data. If you use the Decube API to read or write tags, you must update your integrations before the deprecation date.
{% endhint %}

Tags will be migrated to **Column Tags**, a new custom attribute that covers the same use case with fewer constraints and more control. This guide explains what is changing, when it happens, and what — if anything — you need to do.

***

## What is changing and why

Tags have served as a lightweight way to label columns in the catalog. As usage has grown, the limitations of the original implementation have become clear: there is no central management interface, the number of tags per asset is arbitrarily capped, and tags are excluded from Decube's custom filter rules.

Column Tags is built on the [Creating & managing custom attributes](/org-settings/custom-attributes.md) framework and resolves all three of these constraints:

|                       | Tags (deprecated)         | Column Tags                                     |
| --------------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Management interface  | None                      | Managed in **Org Settings → Custom Attributes** |
| Field limits          | Maximum 3 tags per column | No limit                                        |
| Custom filter support | Not supported             | Full support, including complex filter rules    |

Your existing tag data is fully preserved — it migrates automatically to Column Tags on the deprecation date.

***

## Key dates

| Date                   | Event                                                           |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| First week of May 2026 | Deprecation notice published (this guide)                       |
| Early June 2026        | Final reminder issued                                           |
| 15 June 2026           | Tags deprecated; all data automatically migrated to Column Tags |

***

## What you need to do

### General users

Nothing. On the deprecation date, Decube automatically migrates all existing tag values to Column Tags. Your data is preserved exactly as-is — no manual steps required.

After migration, you can find your tags under **Custom Attributes** on any column asset page. See [Finding Column Tags after migration](#finding-column-tags-after-migration) below.

### API users

If your integrations read or write tags via the Decube API, you must update them before the deprecation date. Two endpoints are affected.

***

## API impact

### POST /assets/search — update filter payloads

If you filter assets by tags in a `POST /assets/search` request, update your payload to reference the Column Tags custom attribute instead of the `tags` field.

### GET /assets — tag values move to custom attributes

After migration, tag values are no longer returned in the `tags` field of an asset response. They appear instead under `custom_attributes`, keyed to the Column Tags attribute.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Integrations that continue to reference the `tags` field after the deprecation date will receive empty or missing values. Update your integrations before early June 2026.
{% endhint %}

***

## Finding Column Tags after migration

After the migration, all column tag values appear in the **Custom Attributes** section of any column asset page in the catalog.

To manage the Column Tags attribute definition — rename values, adjust descriptions, or review all tagged assets — go to **Org Settings → Custom Attributes**.

{% content-ref url="/pages/GlFSneGL1vEEvo1TcLLf" %}
[Creating & managing custom attributes](/org-settings/custom-attributes.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

***

## Frequently asked questions

#### Will any of my tag data be lost during migration?

No. Every existing tag value is carried over to Column Tags automatically. The migration preserves all tag data exactly as it exists on the deprecation date.

#### Do I need to do anything in the UI before the deprecation date?

No action is required for general catalog users. Your tag data migrates automatically. You will find it under Custom Attributes after the migration date.

#### When does the `tags` field stop working in the API?

The `tags` field is removed from `POST /assets/search` request payloads and `GET /assets` responses on the deprecation date in early June 2026. Make sure your integrations are updated before then to avoid disruption.

#### What happens to tags on assets that are ingested between now and the deprecation date?

Any tags applied before the deprecation date — including those added right up to the cutover — are included in the automatic migration.

***

## Get help

If you have questions about this migration or need assistance updating your API integrations, contact <support@decube.io>.


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