---
title: Data catalog
url: https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog
content_type: landing
section: Model
---

# Data catalog

A data catalog is a collection of metadata that encompasses essential information about the organization, structure, usage, and lineage of data within the system. It comprises vocabularies and vocabulary keys, acting as fundamental building blocks for constructing a comprehensive data model.

The following diagram shows the basic steps of defining a data model in CluedIn.

![How to define a data model in CluedIn: 1, create a vocabulary; 2, add vocabulary keys that describe golden records; 3, update the data model iteratively as requirements change](https://documentation.cluedin.net/assets/images/management/data-catalog/data-catalog.gif)

This section covers the following areas:

- [Modeling approaches](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/modeling-approaches.md) – explore the options available for building data models and learn how to use vocabulary key mapping to unify your model across various sources.

- [Vocabularies](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/vocabularies/manage-vocabularies.md) – learn how to create and manage vocabularies for storing and organizing groups of vocabulary keys.

- [Vocabulary keys](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/vocabularies/vocabulary-keys.md) – learn how to create and manage vocabulary keys for defining characteristics of golden records.

- [Search the data catalog](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/search-data-catalog.md) – learn how to make the process of finding metadata faster and more efficient by using filters.

- [Data types](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/data-types.md) – find reference information about data types that can be used in vocabulary keys.

## In this section

- [Modeling approaches](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/modeling-approaches.md) (concept): In this article, you will learn about two data modeling approaches in CluedIn: agile data-first approach and traditional model-first approach.
- [Search the data catalog](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/search-data-catalog.md) (how-to): Searching the data catalog is a valuable tool for streamlining data discovery.
- [Data types](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/data-types.md) (reference): In this article, you will find reference information about data types that can be used in vocabulary keys.
- [Lookup data type](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/lookup-data-type.md) (reference): In this article, you will learn how to work with vocabulary keys that use the Lookup data type to ensure that only valid values are entered in golden records.
- [Match reference and lookup data automatically](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/match-reference-data.md) (how-to): Many business processes rely on lookup tables or reference data (e.g., country codes, product categories, departments, payment terms).
- [Supported and unsupported characters](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model/data-catalog/supported-characters.md) (reference): In this article, you'll find reference information about supported and unsupported characters in clues and entities.

Up: [Model](https://documentation.cluedin.net/model.md)