Microsoft Purview, Databricks Unity Catalog and Medallion Architecture

Microsoft Purview, Databricks Unity Catalog and Medallion Architecture three different responsibilities, one governed data ecosystem.

I created this visual because these concepts are often mixed together.

🔵 Microsoft Purview = Enterprise Data Governance & Discovery

Purview provides the enterprise-wide governance layer across Databricks and other platforms — Governance Domains, Data Products, glossary, Critical Data Elements, ownership, stewardship, metadata, data quality and discovery.

🔴 Databricks Unity Catalog = Databricks Data & AI Governance + Access Control

Unity Catalog is not simply an access-management tool. It governs Databricks data and AI assets, including catalogs, schemas, tables, permissions, technical metadata, lineage, auditing and discovery.

🥉🥈🥇 Medallion = Data Engineering

Bronze → Silver → Gold describes how data is progressively refined.

It is not a governance hierarchy.

That distinction is important:

Governance Domains answer:

👉 Who owns and governs the data?

Bronze / Silver / Gold answer:

👉 What stage of engineering and refinement is the data in?

And Gold does not automatically equal Data Product.

My preferred enterprise model is therefore:

Purview → Enterprise Governance & Discovery

Unity Catalog → Databricks Governance & Access

Medallion → Data Engineering & Refinement

The goal isn't Purview vs Unity Catalog.

It is clearly defining which platform is authoritative for which responsibility and connecting the metadata and lineage into a coherent governance model.

The distinction between governance domains (who owns the data) and Medallion layers (what stage of refinement) is one that trips up many implementation teams. In practice, when Microsoft Fabric is the analytics platform, Purview becomes the authoritative governance layer across both Fabric OneLake and Databricks, with Unity Catalog handling Databricks-internal access. Connecting lineage metadata across both is what creates a truly coherent governance model.