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Databases

The database hierarchy is the core of OpenMetadata’s data asset model. It mirrors real-world database organization, providing a structured way to catalog and manage all your database metadata.

OpenMetadata Standard

All database entity schemas follow the OpenMetadata Standard for Databases — an open specification for unified metadata management across platforms.

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Hierarchy

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Database Service

A Database Service represents a connection to a database platform or cluster — for example, a Snowflake account, a PostgreSQL instance, or a BigQuery project. It holds connection configuration and groups all databases within that platform.

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Database

A Database is a logical container within a service. Databases provide logical grouping for data across applications, teams, or purposes.

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Database Schema

A Database Schema organizes tables and stored procedures as a namespace within a database. All platforms use the same 5-level hierarchy in the API. For platforms that don’t have a native schema concept (e.g., MySQL), a default schema is automatically created to maintain a consistent hierarchy.

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Table

A Table is the fundamental data storage unit with rows and columns. Table metadata includes column definitions, types, constraints, ownership, tags, quality tests, profiler results, sample data, and lineage.

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Stored Procedure

A Stored Procedure is a set of SQL statements stored in the database and executed as a unit. Tracking procedures enables understanding data transformations, lineage, and impact analysis.

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Common Patterns

All platforms follow the same Service → Database → Schema → Table hierarchy in the API.

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API Resources

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Inheritance

When you set an owner or domain on any entity in the hierarchy, it is inherited by all child entities below it. For example, setting an owner on a Database propagates to all its schemas and tables.