Microsoft Purview · Unified Catalog Governance

Governance Domain Creator

Create governance domains and delegate governance domain owner role (or remain owner by default).

Scope: Ability to create governance domains at catalog level

Permissions

  • Create new governance domains in Unified Catalog
  • Delegate Governance Domain Owner role to domain experts
  • Remain as Governance Domain Owner by default if not delegated
  • Define domain scope and boundaries
  • Set up initial domain structure and hierarchy

Common use cases

  • Business unit leaders creating domains for their areas (Sales, Marketing, Finance)
  • Data platform teams establishing technical domains (Customer Data, Product Data)
  • Setting up federated governance structure aligned to organizational structure
  • Creating domains for regulatory or compliance boundaries (GDPR, HIPAA data)
  • Establishing data mesh architecture with domain-oriented governance

Best practices

  • Plan domain structure before creation - align to business units or data domains
  • Delegate Governance Domain Owner to subject matter expert, not yourself
  • Create domains that reflect organizational accountability structure
  • Document domain purpose, scope, and ownership clearly
  • Start with 5-10 high-level domains, not hundreds of micro-domains
  • Consider regulatory and compliance boundaries when defining domains
  • Coordinate with Data Map collections for technical alignment

Security considerations

  • Domain structure affects organizational access patterns
  • Poor domain design can create governance silos or gaps
  • Should delegate ownership rather than retaining as creator
  • Document domain creation decisions for audit purposes

Official Microsoft Learn documentation →

Open the interactive RBACMap →