Using search features to curate your catalog
Maintaining a clean, accurate, and well-organized data catalog can be time-consuming—especially when metadata is missing or outdated. Use advanced search and bulk editing to proactively manage and improve your catalog's quality.
These tools are designed to help you:
Quickly identify missing or incomplete metadata.
Standardize and update resource fields at scale.
Monitor metadata quality over time.
Whether you are cleaning up stale entries or rolling out governance improvements, these features will help you streamline your work and keep your catalog trustworthy and user-friendly.
Why use these features?
These features help you:
Feature | Benefits |
|---|---|
Identify resources missing key information in metadata fields, such as description, Steward. Create complex queries to surface data quality issues. It helps to keep your catalog consistent and complete and enables proactive governance. | |
Store and reuse queries to track metadata issues over time. It saves time and makes it easy to monitor ongoing data health. | |
Update multiple resources at once, ensuring consistency and reducing manual work. |
How to find resources that are missing description?
Descriptions improve catalog usability, governance, and search relevance. Use advanced search queries to quickly locate missing descriptions and enhance metadata quality.
To find resources that are missing description:
Go to the Resources tab in your organization.
In the Search bar, enter one of the following advanced search queries:
NOT has:description: Displays all resources that are missing a description.
has:description: Displays all resources that have a description.
For details about build more search queries, refer to the Creating advanced searches manually page.
Tip
To find resources missing two different key metadata fields, use a combined query:
NOT has:description OR NOT hasMetadata:Steward: Displays all resources that are missing a description, a Steward, or both.
Use the Sort and Filters options to refine your results. For example, apply the Resource type filter and select Tableau dashboard to narrow your search.
Review the results to track the total number of resources with missing descriptions.
Click Save and name the filter, such as Missing descriptions in Tableau dashboards. This allows you to revisit and track missing descriptions over time without recreating the query.
How to find and update resources that are missing key metadata?
Note
While this example focuses on description and Steward fields, you can use the same workflow for any key metadata fields relevant to your catalog.
Key metadata fields, like Steward, help maintain a well-organized catalog. Use advanced search queries to locate gaps and efficiently update metadata in bulk.
Finding resources missing key metadata
To find resources missing key metadata:
Go to the Resources tab in your organization.
In the Search bar, enter one of the following advanced search queries:
NOT hasMetadata:Steward: Displays all resources without an assigned Steward.
hasMetadata:Steward: Displays all resources that have an assigned Steward.
For details about build more search queries, refer to the Creating advanced searches manually page.
Tip
To find resources missing two different key metadata fields, use a combined query:
NOT has:description OR NOT hasMetadata:Steward: Displays all resources that are missing a description, a Steward, or both.
Use the Sort and Filters options to refine your results. For example, apply the Resource type filter and select Tableau dashboard to narrow your search.
Review the results to track the total number of resources with missing custom metadata.
Click Save and name the filter, such as Missing Stewards in Tableau dashboards. This allows you to revisit and track missing metadata over time without recreating the query.
Updating resources that are missing key metadata
After you have identified the resources that are missing key metadata, use bulk editing to update multiple resources at once.
To bulk update metadata of multiple resources:
On the Search results page, click the Three-dot menu > Quick edit.
In the Quick edit page, select the resources to modify and click Continue.
Locate the missing metadata field, for example Steward. Select Replace existing, and provide your desired value.
Click Edit resources to apply the changes.
How to find recently updated or created resources?
Keeping track of recent activity in your catalog is essential for effective metadata governance. Whether you are auditing recent edits, following up on new resources, or reviewing the results of a bulk update or stewardship rollout, knowing what changed—and when—helps you monitor catalog health, ensure completeness, and maintain data quality.
To find resources created or updated in a specific time range
Go to the Resources tab in your organization.
In the Search bar, enter one of the following advanced search queries:
updated:yesterday: Displays resources updated yesterday.
created:today: Resources that were created on the same calendar day as today.
created:{2025-03-01 TO 2025-03-03}: Finds items created between March 1 and March 3, 2025 (not inclusive).
updated:{last 7 days}: Displays all resources updated within the past 7 days. You can update the number of days in the query ton increase of decrease the range of your search.
For more time filter options, refer to the Creating advanced searches manually page.
Tip
To find recently updated resources that are still missing a description, use a combined query:
NOT has:description AND updated:{last 20 days}: Displays all resources updated in the last 20 days that are still missing a description.
Use the Sort and Filters options to refine your results. For example, sort by Most recently updated first, or filter by Resource type like Dataset or Tableau dashboard.
Review the results to identify the resources updated in a specific time range.
Click Save and name the filter, such as Recently updated dashboards. This makes it easy to revisit and monitor recent metadata activity over time.