15 Best Data Governance Tools for 2025

As organizations continue to rely on data to make key business decisions, they must establish a robust Data Management plan to ensure that data across their organization are handled consistently and not misused. 

This process of managing the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of enterprise data is termed Data Governance. Effective Data Governance solution also helps businesses address data privacy and security issues that are increasingly taking center stage with rising data breaches over the past several years.

In this article, you will gain a better understanding of Data Governance software and its framework. You will also understand the need for Data Governance Tools. Moreover, this article provides the top 15 Data Governance Tools widely used in the industry.

Top 15 Governance Tools

The use of proper Data Governance Tools is critical for successful and long-term Data Governance. Conducting a thorough data governance tools comparison is essential for organizations aiming to streamline their data management processes. Data Governance goals can be achieved more quickly and easily with the right tool. Some of the widely used Data Governance Tools are listed below:

Tool Name	Key Features	Target Users	Deployment	Pricing Model
Alation Data Catalog	Collaborative data catalog, automated metadata ingestion	Enterprises, Data Teams	Cloud, On-premises	Subscription-based
Ataccama	Data quality management, automation of data governance	Data Analysts, Governance Teams	Cloud, On-premises	Subscription-based
Collibra	Data governance, compliance management, business glossary	Enterprises, Data Stewards	Cloud, On-premises	Custom pricing
SAP Master Data Governance	Centralized master data management, integration with SAP tools	SAP users, Enterprises	On-premises, Cloud	Custom pricing
Informatica	Data quality, cataloging, data integration	Enterprises, IT Departments	Cloud, On-premises	Subscription-based
OvalEdge	Data catalog, data lineage, collaboration features	Data Teams, Analysts	Cloud, On-premises	Subscription-based
IBM Data Governance	Data lineage, quality metrics, policy management	Enterprises, Compliance Teams	Cloud, On-premises	Custom pricing
Atlan	Collaboration platform, data discovery, workflow management	Data Teams, Analysts	Cloud	Subscription-based
erwin	Data modeling, data governance, metadata management	Data Architects, Governance Teams	On-premises, Cloud	Custom pricing
Alex Solutions	Data governance, metadata management, compliance tracking	Enterprises, Regulatory Teams	Cloud, On-premises	Custom pricing
ASG Technologies	Data lineage, metadata management, data quality tools	Enterprises, IT Departments	Cloud, On-premises	Custom pricing
Apache Atlas	Open-source data governance, metadata management	Developers, Data Engineers	On-premises	Free (open-source)
Data360 Govern	Data governance framework, data lineage, compliance	Enterprises, Data Stewards	Cloud	Subscription-based
OneTrust Data Governance	Compliance management, data inventory, policy management	Enterprises, Compliance Teams	Cloud	Subscription-based
Oracle Enterprise Metadata Management	Metadata management, data governance, lineage tracking	Enterprises, Data Managers	Cloud, On-premises	Custom pricing

1) Alation Data Catalog

The Alation Data Catalog offers users a single point of reference for numerous data sources, making it easier to identify and locate the information they want. The Alation data catalog is one of those data catalog tools which aids in the automation of Governance operations such as updating data dictionaries and training users about good Governance principles, as well as offering collaborative options for information sharing.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.5

2) Ataccama

Ataccama is a Platform-as-a-Service for self-driven Data Management and Governance. It makes data administration simple with AI-driven automated capabilities. With a “self-driving” strategy aimed to automate,  increase efficiency, and convenience of use, Ataccama ONE automatically analyses data quality and classifies data to help firms prioritize and concentrate. All essential data assets can have security and privacy regulations automatically enforced, making data available to those who need it.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.5

3) Collibra

Collibra is a Data governance tool for enterprises that automates data operations and keeps cross-functional teams on the same page. It provides Natural Language Search, Data Governance Automation, and Data Stewardship.

Users can use Collibra’s interactive data lineage diagrams to graphically understand data elements like regulations, problems, relationships, and flow. It has its own data catalog powered by Machine Learning, that can be connected to the business glossary and governance standards.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.4

4) SAP Master Data Governance

SAP Master Data Governance software(SAP MDG), is accessible on-premises or in the Cloud. It is developed to perform effective enterprise data management, decrease risk, improve compliance, and lower the total cost of ownership. SAP MDG consolidates master data and automates replication and syndication of master data throughout the system landscape. It also measures, monitors, and improves master data quality and workflows.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.5

5) Informatica

Informatica offers a Data Governance platform and Compliance services. Its enterprise Data Governance solution is available in the Cloud or on-premise. It is the most tried-and-true solution, allowing business and IT to work together seamlessly.

Informatica creates a data catalog by scanning across many Cloud platforms automatically. It allows for data lineage tracking to be done automatically. It keeps track of data migration, from high-level system views to granular column-level lineage, and analyses the impact. Informatica dismantles silos and brings together IT, security, and business teams to guarantee that data is compliant with regulations such as GDPR.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.3

6) OvalEdge

OvalEdge is a Data Catalog and a cost-effective Data Governance solution. Companies can adapt the tool to meet their business demands due to its agile architecture. OvalEdge also uses algorithms and user inputs to illustrate relationships between your data, giving you a 360 degree of your data. 

Data lineage tracking aids in the tracking of data from beginning to finish, as well as any anomalies that may have happened along the process. Using a business dictionary, OvalEdge allows you to create data quality and data definition guidelines. You can also assign roles and responsibilities using OvalEdge’s policy controls.

Price: 100$/month, annually, for the starter pack.

Gartner Rating: 4.6

7) IBM Data Governance

IBM Data Governance assists you in locating data objects, as well as their physical location, definition, attributes, and application. It works with both structured and unstructured data. It can assist you in reducing compliance risks.

IBM Data Governance offers features such as a flexible Data Governance plan, Data Cataloging, and acquiring valuable data for Big Data initiatives. It also enables privacy and security features, such as the ability to secure personally identifiable information, predictive consumer intelligence, and personal health data.

Price:

• Lite Version: Free
• Standard: $300 per instance, with $0.50 per capacity unit-hour and $50 for each extra user.
• Professional: $7,000 per instance, with $0.40 per capacity unit-hour and $300 per extra user.

Gartner Rating: 4.0

8) Atlan

Atlan’s data workspace platform supports Data cataloging, Data Quality, Data Lineage, and Governance. For developing a shared understanding of data, the software includes a Google-like Search interface, automated Data Profiling, and a searchable Business Lexicon. No matter where your data flows, users can manage bandwidth utilization and adoption throughout an ecosystem using granular Governance and access restrictions.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.5

9) erwin

erwin combines Data Governance, Enterprise Architecture, Business Process, and Data Modeling into one software platform. By linking physical metadata to particular business terminology, it allows customers to locate and harvest data, as well as arrange and deploy data sources. erwin can assess complicated lineages spanning systems and use cases by importing information from data integration tools and cloud-based platforms.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.4

10) Alex Solutions

Alex’s technology-agnostic data catalog is available as a full Cloud or hybrid solution. It prides itself on its low total cost of ownership, embracing automation from the start to boost productivity and scalability. Alex is focused on simplicity of deployment across many use cases as a single, out-of-the-box platform.

It can harvest and ingest metadata from a variety of platforms, both on-premises and in the cloud, and supports connectors for all major cloud providers. Alex’s automatic data lineage capability allows users to quickly alter the context between business, user, application, and technology lineages with only a few clicks.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.8

11) ASG technologies

ASG Technologies, now owned by Rocket Software, offers a data intelligence platform called Rocket Data Intelligence (RDI) that addresses data governance needs. While not solely a data governance tool, ASG Technologies’ Rocket Data Intelligence offers a powerful, integrated platform for data discovery, lineage, and governance. It boasts strong capabilities like automated metadata & lineage tracking, built-in governance workflows, and role-based access control. However, consider its broader data intelligence focus and pricing structure before deciding if it aligns perfectly with your specific data governance needs.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.1

12) Apache Atlas

Apache Atlas is amongst the best data governance tools. It is an open-source tool that is built upon a foundational set of metadata control and information governance talents for businesses with information-extensive platforms. It’s ordinarily designed to be used in Hadoop clusters. However, it is able to additionally trade metadata with gear and procedures out of doors in the Hadoop atmosphere to permit integration with different structures for analytics applications. Using open source data governance tools allows for lower costs, greater flexibility, and community support.

Price: Open Source

Gartner Rating: 4.4

13) Data360 Govern

Data360 Govern, which is owned by Precisely, is also one of the best low-cost data governance tools. The tool offers real-time monitoring of information and helps numerous enterprise procedures and effects to assist businesses in meeting their enterprise goals, with dashboards and reviews that may be custom designed to give customized insights. It additionally automates information governance workflows, metadata harvesting, and the uploading of information nice rankings from the partner Data360 DQ+ software program and different information nice gear from Precisely or rival vendors.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.2

14) OneTrust Data Governance

OneTrust Data Governance is an AI-powered tool that automatically detects applications and data stores and inventories their data assets. It then uses AI and machine learning models to categorize, classify, enrich, and tag data sets. The tool can create a data catalog and dictionary, connect the catalog to a business glossary, and automatically apply governance policies and controls based on data classification. It includes over 500 pre-built connectors, custom connector creation, collaborative workflows, and functions for data lineage diagrams and regulatory compliance reports.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 3.6

15) Oracle Enterprise Metadata Management

Oracle Enterprise Metadata Management (OEMM) is a tool that allows organizations to manage metadata from various data sources, including Oracle and non-Oracle systems. It provides data lineage tracing, impact analysis functions, and collaborative data governance features such as the ability to annotate and tag metadata. OEMM can also import existing metadata standards from Oracle and third-party systems, build business glossaries, and stitch together metadata from different sources. It offers versioning of metadata models and integrates with Oracle Enterprise Data Quality for a comprehensive approach to managing data governance.

Price: On Request

Gartner Rating: 4.3

What Key Features are a must-have in Data Governance Tools?

• Metadata management – The ability to automatically scan, catalog, and centralize metadata from different data sources is crucial. This provides visibility into what data exists, where it resides, who owns it, etc.
• Data lineage tracking – Understanding the origins and movement of data from source to destination is important for governance. Data lineage shows how data transforms over time and where it flows.
• Policy management – Tools should provide a way to create, manage and enforce data policies, rules, standards across the organization. This includes things like data security, access control, and data quality policies.
• Collaboration features – Features that enable stakeholders to work together, annotate metadata, discuss policies/issues, and share knowledge ultimately facilitate better governance.
• Issue tracking – Users should have the ability to flag data issues that need resolution and track remediation tasks. Integrations with organization’s ticketing systems are ideal for centralized issue tracking.
• Automated reporting – Automated dashboards, notifications and hosted reporting that provide visibility into governance metrics, policy violations, data quality stats and more are tremendously helpful.
• Role-based access control – Governing data requires input from many different users, so tools need advanced permissions that allow appropriate access and actions based on defined user roles.
• Collaboration with other tools: By incorporating data ingestion tools into your data governance framework, you can ensure that data is properly handled and controlled from the moment it enters the system.

Choosing the Right Data Governance Tool

Selecting the right data governance tool is essential for effective data management and compliance. Some key factors to consider include:

• Functionality: You can evaluate the tools against functionalities such as data cataloging, data quality management, and metadata management.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Choose a tool that scales with your organization’s data needs and adapts to evolving requirements.
• Cost and Licensing: Take into consideration the type of pricing model and total cost of ownership for each of the tools. Some tools, such as IBM Data Governance, have enterprise-level features, but their prices vary if deployed or used differently.
• User Experience: Look for a user-friendly interface and strong support resources. OvalEdge and erwin are known for their intuitive dashboards and ease of use.

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Conclusion

In this article, you learned about Data Governance and understood the need for Data Governance Tools. You explored the best Data Governance Tools in the market. At the end of this article, you learned the various benefits offered by Data Governance Tools. 

However, extracting complex data from a diverse set of data sources like Databases, CRMs, Project management Tools, Streaming Services, and Marketing Platforms can be quite challenging. This is where a simpler alternative like Hevo can save your day!

Share your experience with Data Governance Tools in the comments section below!

FAQs about Data Governance Tools