What is the main purpose of the Unity Catalog in Databricks?

The main purpose of the Unity Catalog in Databricks is to manage data asset metadata. Unity Catalog provides a unified governance solution for all data assets within the Databricks workspace. This includes capabilities for organizing and managing access to the various data assets, whether they are tables, views, or other data formats. By cataloging metadata, it enables users to quickly discover and utilize datasets while also facilitating better security and compliance through centralized management of data permissions and access controls.

Managing metadata includes features such as data lineage, which tracks the origin and evolution of data over time, ensuring that users can have confidence in the datasets they are using. Furthermore, Unity Catalog is designed to support a collaborative environment where data scientists and engineers can efficiently work with shared assets while adhering to governance protocols.

This focus on metadata management differentiates it from other purposes like data visualization, version segregation, or backup capabilities, which are not the core functions of Unity Catalog.