Microsoft is retiring the data governance capabilities in Microsoft Purview, with support ending on 12 November 2027, and data governance will be fully embedded into the OneLake Catalog in Microsoft Fabric.
Why Microsoft is making the change
AI is forcing a rethink of data governance. We are moving away from governance being something that sits alongside the data estate towards it becoming part of how data is managed and used.
The problems are familiar. Governance becomes fragmented across platforms and teams, controls become difficult to manage consistently, and manual processes struggle as the data estate grows. None of this comes from bad intentions. Data estates simply grow faster than the governance around them.
Putting governance closer to the data makes sense, particularly when that data is increasingly being used by AI as well as people. It makes it easier to use. An AI agent needs to know whether it can use the data, whether it is sensitive, what it means and whether it can be trusted. That makes good governance more important, not less.
Where governance lives now: OneLake Catalog
The OneLake Catalog becomes the home for Microsoft's data governance capabilities, bringing discovery, governance and security closer to the data in Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft is also clear that this isn't limited to data physically stored in OneLake. It can extend to other data through shortcuts, mirroring and supported connectors.
Some of the key capabilities we can already see in OneLake Catalog include:
- Explore: a searchable catalogue for finding and understanding data, including tables and columns.
- Govern: insights and recommended actions alongside domains, tags and governance capabilities.
- Secure: OneLake security roles and permissions, bringing access controls closer to the data.
- Policies in Fabric: centrally managed policies for controlling how Fabric data and environments are used.
There are also APIs and Copilot capabilities that make it possible to bring governed data discovery into development and AI workflows.
Microsoft Purview tools
Purview is not disappearing. Microsoft is separating data governance from data security and compliance more clearly. Governance moves into Fabric, while Purview continues to provide security and compliance capabilities across the wider estate.
That includes:
- Information Protection for classifying and labelling sensitive data.
- Data Loss Prevention for detecting sensitive data and controlling how it is used or shared.
- Insider Risk Management for identifying and investigating potentially risky activity.
- Data Security Posture Management for understanding risks around sensitive data, including its use by AI and Copilot.
Fabric OneLake Catalog is not replacing Microsoft Purview Data Governance in a like for like migration. It is reimaging data governance for AI. It is a new architecture for the AI era.
What to do next
The technology is changing, but the basics of good governance aren't. Someone still needs to know which data matters, who owns it, who should have access and what good quality and trusted data looks like.
I would start with four things:
- Understand what you rely on today. Look at how you actually use Purview Data Governance, not just which features are switched on. What processes and integrations depend on it, and what will need to change?
- Prioritise what matters. Identify your critical and sensitive data, where it lives and who owns it. There is little value in migrating a catalogue full of data that nobody is actively governing.
- Decide what your future model looks like. Work out what OneLake Catalog will govern, where Purview continues to fit and how you will deal with data and governance requirements that sit outside Fabric.
- Don't simply recreate what you have today. You have until 12 November 2027. Use that time to simplify the governance model, clarify ownership and think about what needs to change as more of your data starts to be consumed by AI.
This is new technology, so it will take time to settle and mature. But I don't think the important question is simply“How do we migrate from Purview to OneLake Catalog?”
A better question is:“What does our governance model need to look like when both people and AI are consuming our data?”
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