Also known as: Dataplex Universal Catalog, BigQuery universal catalog, Dataplex Catalog, Dataplex.
At a glance
| Metadata ingestion and connectors | Automatic for Google Cloud sources; Oracle, PostgreSQL and partner registries such as Collibra |
| Lineage | Column level; premium DCU charges apply except for custom-reported lineage |
| Business glossary | Yes |
| Stewardship and workflows | Review workflows for metadata changes, batch change requests in preview (November 2026) |
| Access policies | Google Cloud IAM; data products bundle assets with ownership and contracts |
| Classification | Aspects and trust signals; automatic sensitive data classification not documented on the pages checked |
| Search and discovery | Natural-language semantic search |
| Deployment | Managed Google Cloud service |
| Licensing | Pay as you go: DCU-hours (standard and premium), metadata storage per GiB-month, data insights tokens |
Knowledge Catalog is the default catalog for BigQuery-centred teams: technical metadata for Google Cloud assets is indexed automatically and stored free, and lineage and quality scans are billed per DCU-hour. It is a Google Cloud service, so multi-cloud estates will need connectors or a neutral catalog alongside it, and the frequent renames mean older documentation uses Dataplex names.
Overview
Knowledge Catalog is Google Cloud's metadata and context service. It crawls and indexes technical metadata for BigQuery datasets, tables and views, AlloyDB, Spanner, Cloud Storage and Looker, and can bring in third-party sources such as Oracle and PostgreSQL and partner registries such as Collibra. On top it offers natural-language search, Gemini-generated descriptions, column-level lineage, data quality rules and profiling scans, a business glossary, aspects (structured metadata templates), review workflows and data products with ownership and contracts.
The service has been renamed several times: Dataplex Catalog became BigQuery universal catalog in April 2025, then Dataplex Universal Catalog from mid-2025, and Knowledge Catalog on 10 April 2026. API, CLI and IAM names did not change, so code and permissions still use Dataplex identifiers. The older standalone Data Catalog service is being shut down in phases from 1 June 2026, so its users must move to Knowledge Catalog.
Key features
- Automatic crawling and indexing of BigQuery, AlloyDB, Spanner, Cloud Storage and Looker metadata
- Natural-language semantic search and Gemini-generated descriptions
- Column-level data lineage, including Looker lineage (generally available October 2026)
- Data quality rules and data profiling scans billed as premium processing
- Business glossary and aspects for structured, domain-specific metadata
- Governance review workflows and data products with ownership, SLAs and contracts
- MCP servers and a LookupContext API to ground AI agents in catalog context
Integrations and ecosystem
Pros and cons
Pros
- Automatic, free technical metadata for BigQuery and other Google Cloud assets
- Lineage, quality and profiling in the same managed service
- Small free tier for standard processing and metadata storage
- Agent-oriented APIs and MCP servers for AI use cases
Cons
- Google Cloud centric; connectors outside Google Cloud are limited compared with neutral catalogs
- Repeated renames: documentation, SKUs and APIs still use Dataplex names
- Premium processing (lineage, quality, profiling) has no free tier
Pricing
Knowledge Catalog bills processing in Data Compute Units (DCU-hours) and metadata storage per GiB per month; the billing SKUs still carry the Dataplex name. Processing is split into standard and premium DCU-hours, with premium covering data lineage, data quality and data profiling; automatically ingested technical metadata such as BigQuery table entries is not charged for storage, but lineage metadata is. The per-unit rates and free allowances are published on Google's Knowledge Catalog (Dataplex) pricing page, which could not be loaded for verification on 7 November 2026, so they are not quoted here; check that page or the Google Cloud pricing calculator. Data insights, metered in input and output tokens, began billing on 27 October 2026 with a rollout from 2 November 2026. A Google Cloud billing account is required.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
Teams whose analytics run on BigQuery and Google Cloud and who want catalog, lineage and data quality without operating a separate product.
Typical use cases
- Searching BigQuery datasets in plain language and finding certified tables
- Column-level lineage from pipelines to Looker for impact analysis
- Scheduled data quality and profiling scans on BigQuery tables
- Migrating from the legacy Data Catalog before its shutdown
Who should look elsewhere
- Multi-cloud estates that need one neutral catalog across AWS, Azure and on-premises systems, where an enterprise catalog such as Collibra or Atlan may fit better.
Verdict
Knowledge Catalog gives BigQuery users a capable managed catalog with lineage and quality built in, and technical metadata at no storage charge. Budget premium DCU-hours for lineage and scans, expect Dataplex naming in APIs and billing, and pair it with a neutral catalog if much of your data lives outside Google Cloud.
Frequently asked questions
Is Knowledge Catalog the same as Dataplex?
Yes. Knowledge Catalog is the name since 10 April 2026 for Dataplex Universal Catalog, which earlier was Dataplex Catalog and briefly BigQuery universal catalog. APIs, CLI commands, IAM roles and billing SKUs still use Dataplex names.
What happens to Google Cloud Data Catalog?
The legacy Data Catalog service began a phased shutdown on 1 June 2026, and users may lose access to its APIs. Knowledge Catalog is not affected and is the replacement.
How much does Knowledge Catalog cost?
It is pay as you go: processing is billed in standard and premium DCU-hours (premium covers lineage, quality and profiling) and metadata storage per GiB per month, while automatically ingested technical metadata is not charged. Check Google's Knowledge Catalog pricing page for the current rates; we could not verify them on the official page when this profile was checked.
Sources
- Knowledge Catalog product page
- Knowledge Catalog pricing
- Knowledge Catalog introduction
- Knowledge Catalog FAQ
- Knowledge Catalog release notes
Checked November 2026.
Listed in: Data Catalog & Governance.
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