The way organizations handle personal data is under scrutiny like never before.

A wave of new data protection laws is taking effect around the world to combat the rise in data breaches and ensure organizations handling sensitive information are prepared for the modern data age. In the wake of Europe’s GDPR, new acts are emerging at state level in the US, adding further requirements on top of existing legislation such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.

For many SQL Server teams, this comes at a time when they’re working towards streamlining development and release workflows with Database DevOps. But with compliance such a hot topic, any shortcomings to the management of sensitive data must be tackled at the same time.

This whitepaper discusses the increasing recognition of the importance of data catalogs, the benefits they bring to a business, and the capabilities and features required. It also gives a brief outline of the current and upcoming data privacy regulations which a data catalog can help comply with.