Improving data discovery with Snowplow: The new Tracking Catalog

Data discovery is a significant challenge in modern data platforms due to their technical complexity, necessitating tools that enable all company members to find and understand necessary data. Snowplow's new Tracking Catalog aims to address this by providing a comprehensive list of events, entities, and properties processed over the last 90 days, allowing users to visualize the interconnectedness of data. This tool facilitates understanding for less technical team members by offering clear visuals and plain English descriptions, thus promoting collaboration and reducing the bottleneck typically caused by reliance on specialists. Currently available to Snowplow BDP customers on specific tiers, the Tracking Catalog differentiates from traditional data catalogs by being integrated directly into Snowplow’s system, allowing real-time data access and reflecting data before validation. As part of its ongoing efforts, Snowplow is also developing a Tracking Plan to help Data Product Managers manage data systematically and address challenges like compliance, value, and trust, thereby ensuring effective data pipeline ownership.