---
type: concept
x-llmwiki:
  schemaVersion: "0.1"
  contentHash: 288ce0ddb498d145ca2729472dd50bfb137b36457069941fa28923ff00c2fddb
  pageDirectory: concepts
  sources:
    - data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md
  confidence: 0.9
  provenanceState: extracted
  freshnessStatus: unverified
  aliases:
    - metadata-quality-and-discovery-experience
    - Discovery Experience and Metadata Quality
    - MQADE
  citations:
    - file: data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md
title: Metadata Quality and Discovery Experience
description: The quality of admin-side metadata directly determines how useful the discovery experience is for users; consistent certification standards and governed tag vocabularies enable confident filtering and searching.
tags:
  - data-governance
  - metadata
  - best-practices
timestamp: "2026-06-19T14:40:44.659Z"
---

# Metadata Quality and Discovery Experience

**Metadata Quality and Discovery Experience** refers to the relationship between the metadata administrators attach to catalog objects and the ability of users across an organization to find, understand, and trust those data assets. High-quality metadata — including certification signals and governed tags — directly improves discoverability in Unity Catalog by enabling users to filter, search, and assess data with confidence. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Overview

Data discovery is the ability for users across your organization to locate, understand, and trust data assets in the catalog. Administrators shape discoverability through the metadata, trust signals, and organizational structure they apply. The quality of admin-side metadata directly determines how useful the discovery experience is for users. When consistent certification standards and governed tag vocabularies are established, users can filter and search for data assets with confidence. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Key Metadata Components

### Certification and Deprecation Flags

Administrators can apply system tags to mark data assets as **certified** (trusted, meeting quality standards) or **deprecated** (outdated, unsuitable for new use). These signals appear inline in the workspace and influence how data surfaces in search, helping users quickly identify reliable or obsolete assets. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Governed Tags

Governed tags are controlled tag vocabularies that users can apply to catalog objects to organize and categorize data by topic, team, or domain. They make data browseable and filterable across the catalog, enabling users to discover relevant assets without knowing exact names. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Best Practices for Administrators

- **Establish consistent certification standards:** Define clear criteria for what makes an asset certified or deprecated, and apply these tags uniformly. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]
- **Create governed tag vocabularies:** Develop controlled taxonomies (e.g., by subject area, sensitivity, owner team) to ensure tags are meaningful and consistent. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]
- **Encourage tag adoption:** Train users to apply governed tags when registering or updating assets so the catalog remains organized. (inferred from best-practice guidance)
- **Regularly audit metadata:** Review certification statuses and tag usage to remove stale or incorrect signals. (inferred)

## Impact on User Experience

When metadata is complete and accurate, users can:
- Filter search results by certification status to find trusted data first.
- Browse by governed tag categories to discover related assets across departments.
- Quickly identify deprecated assets to avoid using stale data.
- Understand data purpose and quality without needing to consult the owning team.

These benefits arise directly from the metadata quality choices administrators make. ^[data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Related Concepts

- [Data Discovery](/concepts/data-discovery-in-unity-catalog.md) — The user-facing experience of browsing and searching the catalog.
- [Unity Catalog](/concepts/unity-catalog.md) — The central governance platform where metadata is managed.
- [Certification and Deprecation](/concepts/data-certification-and-deprecation.md) — Applying system tags to signal data quality.
- [Governed Tags](/concepts/governed-tags.md) — Controlled vocabularies for categorizing catalog objects.
- Data Governance — Broader practices for managing data access, quality, and lineage.

## Sources

- data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md

# Citations

1. [data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws.md](/references/data-discovery-in-unity-catalog-databricks-on-aws-a33f291f.md)
