Extend governance across heterogenous stack, embed it into daily work,
and enable it for AI.
Purview provides the governance foundation in Microsoft. Atlan extends that trust, context, and control across the entire heterogenous stack from source DBs to BI tools for both technical and business teams.
Atlan adds capabilities, extends them to more systems and user types
Microsoft Purview provides governance foundation within Microsoft. Atlan extends trust, context, and control across your entire data stack for comprehensive governance.
Enable federated, interoperable, multi-platform governance
Purview governs Microsoft and Atlan extends those controls across cloud platforms, BI tools, and SaaS applications for consistent governance everywhere.
Make data usable for everyone
Purview serves technical users, while Atlan brings a consumer-grade experience to every persona—engineers, analysts, stewards, business users, and AI agents.
Trace the end-to-end data journey
Purview delivers lineage in Microsoft, and Atlan extends that visibility across sources, transformations, and dashboards for column-level, end-to-end trust.
What Microsoft Purview and Atlan deliver together, at a glance
| Capability | Purview | Atlan | Purview + Atlan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Semantic search across Azure-native and limited non-Azure sources | Semantic search across all data systems with a persona-specific UI/UX | Unified discovery across multi-cloud & hybrid assets for technical & business users |
| Lineage | Table level (column-level only for Azure); manual effort for impact analysis | Automate column-level lineage & embedded impact analysis across all systems | End-to-end visibility for rapid root cause & proactive impact analysis across the data estate |
| Data Products Marketplace | Products grouped by domains and OKRs, but lacks data product lineage | Products grouped by domains and use cases. Business lineage between data products | Marketplace of data products with cross-platform assets for self-service consumption |
| Data Quality | No-code DQ rules and profiling across Azure and extended sources, providing standard health reports | No-code DQ rules for Snowflake +Databricks. Native integration with best-of-breed observability tools | Comprehensive, cross-platform data quality management |
| Basic Policy & Compliance | Offers 200+ classifications for tagging and a Data Policy App for asset enforcement | Bulk tagging via rule-based playbooks. Auto-propagation via lineage, and a no-code governance workflow builder | Consistent tag management and governance across the entire estate |
| Advanced Policy and Compliance | Purview has dedicated Data Security, Risk & Compliance product suite, including Compliance Manager and DLP | Policy Manager to define and connect policies to assets in the data estate. AI governance for asset registry and lineage | Holistic Policy and compliance enforcement across systems |
| User Adoption | Enterprise portal design; Azure-consistent interface with a steeper learning curve for non-technical users | Consumer-grade, modern interface with intuitive and personalized UX and minimal learning curve for all personas | Organization-wide data culture enablement with user-friendly access and adoption across roles. |
| Platform extensibility | REST APIs based on Apache Atlas with Azure SDK integration | Open API and event-driven architecture, and iceberg native metadata lakehouse | Future-proof flexibility to support new tools in the data estate |
| Automation | Copilot suggestions for auto-enrichment of data products, policies, & tags | Atlan AI enrichment for term suggestions, asset descriptions, and rule-based playbooks | Combined automation for faster, large-scale metadata enrichment across the data estate |
| Collaboration | Metadata context locked into Purview, need to login to access | Embedded metadata directly in end user tools like BI tools, Teams, Excel, JIRA etc. | Seamless collaboration on metadata across diverse user workflows |
| Reporting | Ready-made health reports provide the status of the data estate and governance progress | Internal reporting center. Custom metadata analytics using metadata lakehouse. | Unified reporting on data governance health & maturity in the data estate |
Why is Atlan the best universal catalog for Purview?
01
Enterprise-wide adoption
Atlan extends the assets from Microsoft sources to every persona by embedding metadata into everyday tools and curating assets into business-ready data products.
Learn more →
02
Faster time to value through automation
Achieve results quickly with no-code, DIY connector setup in under 30 minutes. Playbooks and Atlan AI suggestions automate governance and documentation (with a 70% acceptance rate).
Learn more →03
Deep integration with Microsoft Fabric
Atlan is the only metadata platform that enables discovery, governance, and lineage on top of Microsoft Fabric. Metadata context is embedded directly within Fabric via a Chrome extension.
Learn more →04
End-to-end lineage across the enterprise
Atlan connects Purview lineage across sources, pipelines, and Business Intelligence (BI) tools to provide column-level, end-to-end visibility.
Learn more →05
Partners not vendor to deliver outcomes
Atlan delivers a value-driven approach with an industry-first blueprint, expert post-sales practitioners, and customer education through Atlan University and Launchpads.
Learn more →06
Future-proof for data and AI
An Iceberg-native metadata lakehouse equips your data stack for evolving data and AI use cases, including integration with Microsoft Copilot.
Learn more →
Build a future-ready data estate
Combine Microsoft Purview and Atlan to bring consistent controls and end-to-end visibility to your entire data estate.
Frequently asked questions: Atlan + Microsoft Purview Catalog
How does Atlan integrate with Microsoft Purview?
Atlan integrates with Microsoft Purview through open APIs available on both platforms. This integration allows for bidirectional metadata synchronization, enabling customers to leverage Purview for Azure resources while using Atlan for broader cross-platform governance.
What are the key differences between Atlan and Microsoft Purview?
While Purview heavily focuses on Azure ecosystem governance, Atlan provides comprehensive governance across your entire data estate, including cloud platforms, SaaS applications, and on-premises systems. Atlan complements Purview by extending governance capabilities beyond the Microsoft ecosystem.
Can we use both Atlan and Purview together?
Absolutely. Many organizations use Purview for native Azure governance while leveraging Atlan as their central governance hub across all data platforms. The open APIs on both sides enable seamless integration and unified governance.
How does Atlan extend Purview's capabilities?
Atlan extends Purview's capabilities through active metadata features, a broader connector ecosystem beyond Azure, enhanced collaboration tools, automated quality monitoring, and advanced impact analysis across your entire data stack.
Can Atlan import business glossary terms from Purview?
Yes, Atlan can synchronize business glossary terms from Purview and vice versa, ensuring consistency in terminology across both platforms through the open API integration.
Does Atlan's integration allow for unified search across Purview and non-Purview assets?
Yes, Atlan provides a unified search experience that includes both Purview-managed Azure assets and non-Azure assets, giving users a complete view of their data landscape from a single interface.
How does Atlan handle lineage across Purview and non-Purview sources?
Atlan stitches together lineage information from Purview (for Azure resources) with lineage from other platforms, providing end-to-end visibility across the entire data flow regardless of where the data resides.
Can security classifications and labels be synchronized between Purview and Atlan?
Yes, through Atlan's API integration, sensitivity labels and classifications can be synchronized between platforms, ensuring consistent data protection policies across your organization.
For organizations heavily invested in Azure, why should they consider Atlan alongside Purview?
Even organizations heavily invested in Azure typically have data in multiple environments. Atlan complements Purview by providing governance across non-Azure platforms and offering enhanced collaboration features that span organizational boundaries.