Decision-Grade Analytics

Metric catalog vs metric governance: what’s the difference?

A metric catalog documents KPIs; governance controls definitions, approvals, and changes.

Arjun Vijayan Feb 28, 2026 · 1 min read
Metric catalog vs metric governance: what’s the difference?

A metric catalog helps people discover and understand KPI definitions. Metric governance controls how KPIs are created, approved, versioned, tested, and changed so you don’t end up with multiple versions of the truth.

What each includes (use this table)

CapabilityCatalogGovernance
Definitions + meaning✅✅
Owners✅✅
Change approvals❌✅
Versioning + release notes❌✅
Regression tests❌✅
Enforcement (reuse)❌✅

The “right-sized” approach (copy-paste)

  • Build a small catalog for the gold KPIs (10–20)
  • Implement governance alongside (approvals + versioning + tests)
  • Enforce reuse through a semantic layer
  • Expand only after adoption

MVP (3–5 weeks)

  • Week 1: gold KPI list + owners
  • Week 2: catalog entries (contracts)
  • Week 3: governance workflow + release template
  • Week 4–5: semantic layer enforcement + tests

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a catalog if we already have dashboards?

Yes—dashboards don’t reliably document exclusions, grain, and time logic.

What’s the biggest governance mistake?

Making governance paperwork-heavy. It should be templates + approvals + tests.

Which should we implement first?

Start with a small catalog for gold KPIs and implement governance immediately to prevent drift.