What is Microsoft Purview Data Map?
The Microsoft Purview Data Map provides the foundation for data discovery and data governance. It captures metadata about data present in analytics, software-as-a-service and operational systems in hybrid, on-premises and multicloud environments. The data map stays up to date with its built-in scanning and classification system.
All Microsoft Purview accounts have a data map that starts at one capacity unit and can elastically grow. It scales up and down based on request load and metadata stored within the data map. The Data Map is part of Microsoft Purview; for an overview of the whole platform, see our page on Microsoft Purview.
Core Features
Scanning and ingestion: The Data Map tracks and controls the population of data assets, classification and lineage across both the scanning and ingestion processes.
Elastic data map with autoscale: You can start with a data map as small as one capacity unit that autoscales based on load. Microsoft cites this as the reason for a lower price point when starting data governance projects.
Four metadata types: Technical metadata from scanning, business metadata from automated and manual sources, semantic metadata such as collection mappings and classifications, and operational metadata such as data factory run statuses.
Transparent capacity planning: One capacity unit equals 25 operations per second and 10 GB of metadata storage. Billing is hourly based on the maximum capacity units needed within the hour.
Monitoring in the Azure portal: The Data Map Capacity Units and Data Map Storage Size metrics show consumption, and alerts can be set on thresholds.
Typical Use Cases
Building a data catalog: The Data Map provides the metadata foundation on which Unified Catalog builds.
Classifying sensitive data: The built-in classification system identifies and labels data assets during scanning.
Multicloud and hybrid estates: Metadata from different environments converges in one place.
Cost control in governance projects: The elastic entry point at one capacity unit allows starting small without upfront sizing.
Benefits
- Low barrier to entry by starting with a single capacity unit
- Automatic scaling based on load within the elasticity window
- No upfront decision required on the right data map size
- Transparent billing logic with clear increments for throughput and storage
- Consumption and cost monitoring through Azure portal metrics and alerts
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you in building the Purview Data Map: selecting and connecting data sources, defining a scanning and classification strategy, sizing and cost control through capacity units, and monitoring and alerting.
Contact us for a no-obligation consultation on data discovery and metadata management with Microsoft Purview.
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft Purview Data Map?
The Data Map provides the foundation for data discovery and data governance. It captures metadata about data present in analytics, software-as-a-service and operational systems in hybrid, on-premises and multicloud environments, and stays up to date with its built-in scanning and classification system. It is part of Microsoft Purview; for an overview of the whole platform see our page on [Microsoft Purview](/en/cloud/azure/products/purview/).
What is a capacity unit?
The Data Map has two components, metadata storage and operation throughput, represented together as a capacity unit. Each capacity unit includes a throughput of 25 operations per second and a 10 GB metadata storage limit. All Microsoft Purview accounts start with one capacity unit by default and grow elastically based on usage.
How is the Data Map billed?
You pay for one capacity unit, and extra billing is based on the consumption of each additional capacity unit rolled up to the hour. Operations scale in increments of 25 operations per second and metadata storage in increments of 10 GB. If storage exceeds the current capacity unit, you pay for the next one even if you don't use the operations throughput.
Which metadata is stored?
The Data Map stores technical metadata such as schema, data type and columns discovered by scanning, business metadata such as data promoted from Power BI datasets or manually maintained descriptions and glossary terms, semantic metadata such as collection mapping to data sources or classifications, and operational metadata such as data factory activity run statuses and run times.
Can throughput be increased?
Yes. The default limit for maximum operations per second is 10 capacity units. For larger environments you can request a larger elasticity window through a quota request. Increasing the throughput limit also increases the minimum number of capacity units you are billed for.
How do I monitor consumption and cost?
In the Azure portal you can review the Data Map Capacity Units and Data Map Storage Size metrics for the Microsoft Purview account across different time periods. You can also configure alerts when storage or operations throughput reaches a certain limit.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Azure (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Azure.
