DataCatalog

DataCatalog is a CreativeWork subtype for an organised collection of datasets: open-data portals, institutional data repositories, DCAT-compatible catalogues. It adds 3 direct properties:

dataset (Dataset): the datasets in the catalogue, array-valued. Inverse of Dataset.includedInDataCatalog.
measurementMethod / measurementTechnique: catalogue-wide measurement methods if applicable.

Google's Dataset rich result reads DataCatalog and its included datasets as one collection; well-structured catalogue markup lifts every dataset in the catalogue.

Full example of schema.org/DataCatalog json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

Highlight legend:Required by GoogleRecommendedOptional

schema.org/DataCatalog

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DataCatalog",
  "@id": "https://dunmore.gov.example/open-data",
  "name": "Borough of Dunmore Open Data Portal",
  "description": "Public-domain datasets covering air quality, traffic counts, budget, property tax, and permits.",
  "url": "https://dunmore.gov.example/open-data",
  "publisher": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Borough of Dunmore" },
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
  "dataset": [
    { "@type": "DataFeed", "@id": "https://dunmore.gov.example/open-data/air-quality/feed", "name": "Air quality hourly feed" },
    { "@type": "Dataset", "name": "Annual property-tax roll (2025)" },
    { "@type": "Dataset", "name": "Monthly traffic counts (I-81 Exit 191)" }
  ]
}
</script>

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid DataCatalog entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/DataCatalog (minimal)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DataCatalog",
  "name": "Borough of Dunmore Open Data Portal",
  "dataset": [{ "@type": "Dataset", "name": "Air quality feed" }]
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

Dataset rich result (for included datasets)primary
Google docs

Common DataCatalog mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

01
Catalogue without publisher + license
Wrong
```
DataCatalog with no publisher / license metadata
```
Right
```
Always set publisher and license at the catalogue level; datasets inherit the signal
```
Google's Dataset rich result requires publisher and license; setting them catalogue-wide cuts per-dataset boilerplate.

Schema properties in this example

DataCatalog CreativeWork name description url publisher GovernmentOrganization license dataset Dataset DataFeed measurementMethod measurementTechnique includedInDataCatalog

About the example data

The Borough of Dunmore open-data portal catalogue.

Comments

Loading comments...