Platform-native options · Not scored
Snowflake Horizon and Databricks Unity Catalog as data catalogs for AI agents
Short answer
If your data, definitions and agents live inside Snowflake or Databricks, start with Horizon or Unity Catalog: both now include semantic definitions and lineage. A third-party platform earns its place when lineage, definitions and policies span several warehouses, transformation tools and BI tools. We describe these options and do not score them, because they come with the platform you already run.
By The Lineage Desk · Best Data Catalogs · Published
Desk research from public vendor pages. Editorial assessment.
What does Snowflake Horizon offer for agents?
- Horizon Catalog plus Horizon Context, a governed semantic layer and data catalog with column-level lineage across Snowflake and external databases and documentation generated from metadata.
Source: Snowflake: Horizon Context (read as a search summary)
- External lineage reached general availability on 3 September 2026 after a preview from 16 January 2026.
Source: Snowflake documentation release notes (read as a search summary)
- Horizon Context appears as a preview in a release note dated 12 October 2026.
Source: Snowflake documentation release notes (read as a search summary)
- Snowflake agreed to acquire Select Star's team and technology (announced 24 November 2025) to expand Horizon Catalog.
Source: Select Star homepage
Choose it when: Most of your data, semantic definitions and agents (for example Cortex) live inside Snowflake.
Watch for: Coverage of other warehouses, transformation and BI tools depends on what Snowflake connects; check the current documentation for your stack.
What does Databricks Unity Catalog offer for agents?
- Databricks describes Unity Catalog Semantics as an open semantic layer that centralizes business definitions for BI, apps and AI.
Source: Databricks: Unity Catalog business semantics (read as a search summary)
- Business Semantics, including metric views, was announced as generally available and open source in Apache Spark on 2 April 2026.
Source: Databricks: Unity Catalog business semantics (read as a search summary)
- Unity Catalog governs assets within Databricks; coverage of other warehouses and BI tools is not stated on the pages we read.
Source: Databricks: Unity Catalog business semantics (read as a search summary)
Choose it when: Your data, metrics and agents (for example Genie) live inside Databricks.
Watch for: Cross-platform lineage and definitions outside Databricks are not stated on the pages we read.
When does a third-party platform make sense?
When an agent's question crosses platforms: a metric defined in dbt, computed in one warehouse and shown in a BI tool another team owns. Several platforms in our ranking name Snowflake, Databricks or both on their pages; check each review for the integrations it documents.
| Platform | Names Snowflake on pages read | Names Databricks on pages read |
|---|---|---|
| DataHub | Yes (Snowflake connector) | Yes (Databricks Genie connectable) |
| Euno | Yes | Not stated |
| Atlan | Yes | Yes |
| Alation | Yes | Yes |
| Collibra | Not stated | Yes (named Databricks' Governance Partner of the Year on its homepage) |
| AtScale | Not stated | Not stated |
| Cube | Yes | Not stated |
| Select Star | Yes | Not stated |
| Honeydew | Not stated | Not stated |
Based only on the pages we read; absence here does not mean the integration does not exist.
How do the acquisitions change the picture?
- Snowflake agreed to acquire Select Star's team and technology to expand Horizon Catalog.
Source: Select Star homepage
- ServiceNow agreed to acquire data.world, now sold as ServiceNow Data Catalog.
Source: ServiceNow newsroom (read as a search summary)
- Jedify names Snowflake Ventures among its Series A investors.
Frequently asked questions
Is Snowflake Horizon a data catalog?
Yes. Horizon Catalog is Snowflake's built-in catalog, and Horizon Context adds a governed semantic layer, per Snowflake's pages as summarized in search results.
Does Unity Catalog have a semantic layer?
Databricks describes Unity Catalog Semantics as an open semantic layer, with metric views announced as generally available and open source on 2 April 2026.
Why are these not in the ranking?
They are part of the data platform you already pay for, so ranking them against standalone products would compare different purchases.
Read next
- The ranking
The nine scored platforms in computed rank order.
- Reviewed, not scored
Stardog, data.world, Modus and Jedify.
- Scoring model
Criteria, weights and evidence rules.
- Select Star review
Now part of Snowflake.