Searching for Data
The Calabi Catalogue indexes all your data assets — tables, dashboards, pipelines, topics, ML models, dbt models, and more — and makes them searchable from a single, unified search interface. Whether you know the exact table name or only a vague description of what you need, the Catalogue can find it.
Quick Search (Ctrl+K)
The fastest way to find any asset is the global search bar.
- Press
Ctrl+K(orCmd+Kon macOS) from any page in Calabi. - Start typing — results appear instantly as you type.
- Use arrow keys to navigate results and Enter to open the selected asset.
The quick search matches against:
- Table and column names
- Asset descriptions
- Tags and glossary terms
- Owner names
- Service names
You can also click the search icon in the top navigation bar or navigate directly to Explore → Search.
Full Search Page
For more control over search filters and result browsing, use the full search page:
- Press
Ctrl+Kand enter a term, then press Enter to go to the full results page. - Or navigate to Explore in the top navigation.
Search results layout
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Search bar [Search] │
├─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │ │
│ Filters │ Results list │
│ ───────── │ ───────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Asset type │ [Icon] Table: scores │
│ Service │ psychometric_reporting.scores │
│ Owner │ Gold tier • Owner: J. Smith │
│ Tag │ "Stores all exam attempt results..." │
│ Tier │ │
│ Domain │ [Icon] Table: candidate_scores │
│ │ ... │
└───────────── ────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Searching by Asset Type
Use the Asset Type filter to restrict results to a specific category:
| Asset Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Table | Database tables and views |
| Topic | Kafka, Kinesis, or other streaming topics |
| Dashboard | CalabiIQ dashboards |
| Chart | CalabiIQ charts |
| Pipeline | DAG tasks and workflows |
| ML Model | Calabi ML experiment runs |
| Container | Object storage buckets and paths |
| Glossary Term | Business glossary entries |
| Tag | Classification labels |
Select one or more types in the left-hand filter panel to narrow results.
Advanced Search Filters
Filtering by Owner
Find assets owned by a specific team member:
- In the filter panel, expand Owner.
- Type the person's name or email.
- Select from the suggestions.
Results show only assets where that person is listed as an owner or co-owner.
Filtering by Tag
Tags are user-defined labels applied to assets. To filter by tag:
- Expand the Tag filter panel.
- Type or browse for a tag name (e.g.,
PII,finance,exam-core). - Select one or more tags.
Results show assets that carry all selected tags (AND logic by default).
Filtering by Tier
Tier is a data quality signal that indicates the reliability and importance of an asset:
| Tier | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Gold | Production-grade, certified, actively maintained |
| Silver | Generally reliable; may have minor gaps in documentation |
| Bronze | Experimental or work-in-progress; use with caution |
To filter by tier:
- Expand the Tier filter panel.
- Select one or more tiers.
Filtering by Service
Filter results to a specific connected service (e.g., Redshift Production, Snowflake Analytics):
- Expand the Service filter panel.
- Select the service name.
Filtering by Domain
Domains are organisational groupings (e.g., Finance, Product, Engineering):
- Expand the Domain filter panel.
- Select the relevant domain.
Combining filters
All filters combine with AND logic. For example:
- Asset Type =
TableAND Tag =PIIAND Tier =Gold
Returns only Gold-tier PII-tagged tables.
Keyword Search Syntax
The Catalogue supports enhanced keyword syntax for power users:
| Syntax | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Exact phrase | "exam scores" | Match the exact phrase |
| Column name search | columns:candidate_id | Find tables that contain a column named candidate_id |
| Owner search | owner:jane.smith | Find assets owned by jane.smith |
| Tag search | tag:PII | Find assets with the PII tag |
| Service search | service:redshift-prod | Find assets in the redshift-prod service |
| Wildcard | exam* | Match exam, exam_scores, exam_results, etc. |
Combined example:
exam* tag:finance owner:analytics-team
Finds all assets with names starting with exam, tagged finance, and owned by the analytics team.
Search Results
Each result card shows:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Asset icon | Type indicator (table, dashboard, pipeline, etc.) |
| Name | Asset name — click to open the asset page |
| Fully qualified name | database.schema.table or similar |
| Tier badge | Gold / Silver / Bronze (if set) |
| Owner avatars | Profile pictures of owners |
| Description preview | First ~200 characters of the description |
| Tags | All tags applied to the asset |
| Last updated | When the metadata was last refreshed |
Sorting Search Results
Use the Sort dropdown (top-right of the results list) to order results by:
| Sort option | Description |
|---|---|
| Relevance (default) | Full-text relevance score |
| Last updated | Most recently ingested or edited assets first |
| Usage | Most frequently queried assets first (requires usage stats ingestion) |
| Name (A–Z) | Alphabetical |
Asset Suggestions (Autocomplete)
As you type in the search bar, the Catalogue shows suggested completions based on:
- Exact prefix matches on asset names.
- Recently viewed assets.
- Frequently searched terms in your organisation.
Suggestions appear in a dropdown with the asset type icon and service name for disambiguation.
Searching from Calabi Catalogue vs CalabiIQ
| Location | What is searched |
|---|---|
| Calabi Catalogue search | All metadata assets: tables, dashboards, pipelines, glossary terms, tags, ML models |
| CalabiIQ Datasets list | Only datasets registered in CalabiIQ |
| CalabiIQ Charts list | Only charts saved in CalabiIQ |
Use Calabi Catalogue search to discover assets before building charts. Once you find the right table, click Open in CalabiIQ on the asset page to create a dataset and start building.
Search Performance Tips
| Tip | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Use specific table or column names rather than vague descriptions | Reduces irrelevant results |
| Apply the Asset Type filter first | Narrows the result set immediately |
| Filter by Service when you know which database to look in | Avoids results from unrelated databases |
| Use Tier = Gold filter for production reporting | Surfaces only certified, reliable assets |
Search by column name (columns:) to find which tables contain a field | Useful when you know the field but not the table |