Azure Purview: The Key to Data Lineage and Governance

What is Azure Purview?

Azure Purview is Microsoft’s data governance solution designed to help organizations:
✅ Data Discovery – Find and label data assets spread across different systems.
✅ Data Lineage – Visualize the journey of data through your organization.
✅ Data Governance – Ensure compliance with regulations such as GDPR and NEN 7510.

With Azure Purview, companies can manage all their data assets, from on-premises databases such as Oracle to cloud solutions in Azure¹.

 

Why is Data Lineage important?

Data lineage helps organizations gain insight into their data streams. This is crucial for:

📊 Compliance & Auditing: Know where data comes from and how it is used.
🔄 Efficiency & Optimization: Understand data workflows and identify bottlenecks.
🔐 Security & Governance: Manage access and sensitive data more effectively.

For example, a bank processing customer data needs to know exactly who has access, where the data is and how it changes.

 

How does Azure Purview work?

Azure Purview collects data lineage information using:

🔹 1. Automatic Scans & Connectors

Purview can connect directly to Azure services such as Data Factory, Synapse, and Data Lake, as well as to on-premises databases such as Oracle via a self-hosted integration runtime.

🔹 2. Metadata Catalog

All scanned datasets are given a metadata profile for easy searchability.

🔹 3. Data Lineage Visualization

Purview visualizes the journey of data, from source to destination, including transformations along the way.

🔎 Example:
Suppose you use Azure Data Factory to load data from an on-premises Oracle database into Azure Synapse Analytics. Purview automatically records how the data moves and transforms.

 

Best Practices for a Strong Purview Implementation

Want to get the most out of Azure Purview? Then follow these best practices:

✅ Smartly schedule scans – Avoid overload by not scanning everything at once.
✅ Use RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) – Limit access to sensitive metadata.
✅ Automate lineage tracking – Use Azure Data Factory pipelines for consistent logging.
✅ Ensure a clear data architecture – Work with standardized naming conventions.
✅ Keep monitoring and optimizing – Data lineage is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process.

 

Conclusion: Why Every Business Needs Purview

Azure Purview is much more than a data catalog. It is an essential tool for companies that want to keep control of their data and stay compliant.

From financial institutions to healthcare organizations, everyone working with data benefits from better insight and management.

Want to take your data governance to the next level? Azure Purview is the key! 🔑

 

References

¹https://www.microsoft.com/security/business/risk-management/microsoft-purview-data-governance

 

 

About the author

My name is Alta Martes, a specialist in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with a focus on modern workplace management, cloud security and identity & access management. With years of experience, I help organizations optimize their IT infrastructure and create a secure, efficient digital workplace.

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