The era of big data and cloud adoption has pushed data teams to innovate in constructing their data and analytics ecosystems. Data pipelines are supporting more operational, real-time, and event-driven analytics than ever before. However, with the increase in complexity and pressure on data teams, having clear insight into what's happening across the data estate is crucial. Active metadata can provide this insight by sending metadata back into every tool in the data stack, giving data teams context wherever and whenever they need it. It can be used for discoverability, root cause analysis, impact analysis, and cost optimization. By activating metadata, organizations can improve their daily workflows, build trust and visibility for the entire organization, and create an end-to-end view of the modern data stack.