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What's the future plans for Classic vs Enterprise Glossary Terms in Purview?

Chad Weber 110 Reputation points
2025-03-06T10:49:43.15+00:00

Currently, Classic terms can be only be assigned at an Asset and Schema level and Enterprise terms can only be assigned at the Business Domain level.

There are two reports as well:

"Classic glossary" - which reports on Classic terms

"Data governance (preview)" - which reports on Enterprise terms

In certain cases customers want to assign terms at an Asset or Schema level. Does this mean that customers are forced to maintain two glossary collections (essentially duplicates) in the new portal?

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Purview
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  1. Smaran Thoomu 24,185 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-03-06T12:54:36.32+00:00

    Hi @Chad Weber
    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A platform.

    Thank you for your insightful question regarding the future plans for Classic and Enterprise Glossary Terms in Microsoft Purview.

    Current State of Glossary Terms:

    • Classic Glossary Terms: These can be assigned at the Asset and Schema levels.
    • Enterprise Glossary Terms: Currently, these are scoped to Business Domains.

    This distinction has led to separate reporting mechanisms:

    • "Classic glossary" reports on Classic terms.
    • "Data governance (preview)" reports on Enterprise terms.

    Concerns About Maintaining Dual Glossaries:

    Your concern about potentially having to maintain two glossary collections to assign terms at different levels is valid. As of now, due to the differing scopes of Classic and Enterprise Glossary Terms, organizations may find themselves managing both to meet their specific governance needs.

    Future Plans and Migration Path:

    Microsoft has acknowledged this duality and is working towards a unified glossary experience. According to information from Microsoft Q&A, a migration experience from the Classic to the new Enterprise Glossary in the Microsoft Purview portal is forthcoming, although a specific ETA has not been provided.

    For the latest updates, I recommend:

    • Stay Informed: Regularly check the Microsoft Purview What's New page for updates on glossary features and migration tools.
    • Engage with Microsoft Support: For specific guidance tailored to your organization's needs, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support or your Microsoft account representative.
    • Community Engagement: Participate in forums and user groups where experiences and best practices regarding glossary management in Purview are shared.

    I hope this clarifies the current situation and future direction regarding glossary terms in Microsoft Purview.

    If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

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  1. Wyndowe, Craig 5 Reputation points
    2025-03-21T14:38:31.4+00:00

    Referring to the latest roadmap for Catalog Management, Glossary Term Migration has a planned enhancement for May 2025, "Glossary term migration Data governance administrators can migrate terms from the classic to new glossary using an in-product migration tool May 2025"
    https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/final/en-us/microsoft-brand/documents/MS-Purview-Data-Governance-Roadmap-detailed.pdf

    I don't know if this in-product will negate the need to use Macula for migration and import of terms and concepts.
    Enabling Glossary Migration - As a DG admin, I can migrate terms from the classic to new glossary using a MS-built in-product migration tool. (Q2 CY2025)

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