Reinventing the Role of Data Catalogs and Governance in the Era of Agents

By Satyen Sangani

Published on 2025年3月3日

Reinventing the Role of Data Catalogs and Governance in the Era of Agents

When we started Alation in 2012, our mission was clear: to help organizations navigate the complexity of data. At the time, data was exploding in volume, yet there was no easy way for businesses to find, trust, and use it effectively. So, we pioneered the modern data catalog, introducing a solution that empowered data teams and made self-service analytics possible. Since then, a lot has changed.

Over the past decade, I’ve watched as the landscape of data management has continued to shift. Data has become the foundation of every business decision, AI has surged to the forefront of innovation, and regulatory requirements have only grown in complexity. At the same time, data teams have been asked to do more with less—juggling an increasing number of responsibilities without a corresponding increase in resources. I’ve heard of this struggle firsthand from countless data leaders. They want to drive business value, not get bogged down in the mechanics of data governance, architecture, and semantics.

That’s why today’s announcement is so personal to me. I’m thrilled to introduce the Alation Agentic Platform, a reinvention of the data catalog for the AI era. It’s a solution that builds on everything we’ve learned over the past ten years but leverages some of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes—AI-driven agents. By automating and guiding key data management processes, these agents free data teams to focus on what matters most: driving impact.

The challenges data teams face—and why we built this

From day one, we’ve built Alation with a deep understanding of how data teams work. We know that:

Data is growing exponentially: There’s more data than ever, and keeping up with documentation, governance, and compliance is a never-ending task.
Regulations are evolving constantly: With privacy laws tightening, ensuring compliance isn’t just important—it’s essential.
Resources are stretched thin: Data teams are under increasing pressure to deliver value, but they can’t scale indefinitely.
Data needs to be owned by the business: Ultimately, IT, analytics, and governance teams all exist to meet the needs of the business.

For years, we’ve seen organizations struggle to balance these competing priorities. And for years, we’ve asked ourselves: How can we make this easier?

That’s where AI-driven agents come in. With the Alation Agentic Platform, we’re introducing AI-powered automation that transforms how data is managed, making workflows smarter, faster, and more scalable. Traditionally, data management has relied on people—coordinating work, interpreting governance, and translating between business and technical processes. It’s complex and time-consuming.

Agents change that. They capture and share knowledge across teams. Agents amplify human expertise, helping teams deliver more value faster. They give stewards, analysts, and governance leaders superpowers—automating tasks, surfacing insights, and ensuring best practices. We're thrilled to bring this innovation to life.

The power of AI agents: A game changer for data management

So, what exactly do these agents do? They take on the time-consuming, high-judgment, manual work that has traditionally bogged down data teams. They:

Auto-generate documentation to keep metadata accurate and up-to-date.
Apply governance policies intelligently, reducing the risk of non-compliance.
Use institutional knowledge to guide users in discovering and using the right data.

More importantly, AI agents bring data management best practices to life in a way that was never before possible. Everyone wants higher-quality data, but how do you get it? Scan every table, build thousands of rules – these things don’t scale. Achieving great data quality requires judgment, knowledge, and context. How is the data used? Which rules would have the most value? Where is failure most likely? Why is the data wrong? What’s the cost of implementing a rule?

Agents combine deep domain expertise with the rich metadata in the catalog, creating automated processes that are tailored to the unique institutional context of each organization. By dynamically interpreting and applying governance policies, AI agents distribute and act on knowledge that was previously limited to a small group of experts.

This means that organizations can scale their governance programs without requiring massive headcount increases. Data teams gain efficiency, business users gain confidence, and organizations can accelerate the delivery of mission-critical initiatives. In short, AI agents don’t just make data management easier—they make it better.

Expanding possibilities with the Alation AI Agent SDK

This launch isn’t just about making life easier for data stewards. It’s about enabling innovation across the entire enterprise. That’s why we’re also rolling out the Alation AI Agent SDK, which integrates with Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP). This SDK allows organizations to build their own AI-powered applications that leverage Alation’s trusted, governed data.

What does this mean in practice?

Chatbots that understand compliance: AI-powered customer service tools can ensure their responses align with governance policies.
More intelligent search experiences: Business users can find the right data faster, with AI providing better recommendations.
AI applications you can trust: Developers can build with confidence, knowing their AI models are fueled by high-quality, vetted data.
Build AI applications no one else can. Combine the power of leading public models with your organization’s unique knowledge and governed data to create proprietary AI solutions that give you a true competitive edge.

For years, I’ve believed that data intelligence should extend beyond the data team. With the Agent AI SDK, we’re making that vision a reality—helping enterprises create safer, smarter, and more innovative AI applications.

A decade of Alation—and the future ahead

Reflecting on the journey that brought us here, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Alation. Since launching the first data catalog in 2015, we’ve helped over 600 enterprises—including 40% of the Fortune 100—transform their approach to data intelligence. Along the way, we’ve learned from every challenge, iterated on every success, and worked tirelessly to simplify and elevate data management.

One of my favorite phrases is “Great design disappears.” Three months ago, I was speaking at an event and someone asked me where I see data catalogs going. I told them that we spent 12 years building catalogs and we’re going to spend the next three making them invisible. My belief is that data catalogs should be so closely integrated, and so seamlessly aligned to the practice of data management, that both become invisible.

I couldn’t be more excited to build toward this future, and we’re just getting started.

The Alation Agentic Platform isn’t just another product launch—it’s the next step in achieving our vision to empower a curious and rational world. With AI as our ally, we’re ensuring that the complexity of data doesn’t hold businesses back—it propels them forward.

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