South32's Data Transformation: Unlocking Trust and Value with Microsoft Purview

South32, an Australia-based mining and metals company with operations on three continents, faced a formidable challenge not uncommon among enterprise-scale organizations: its most valuable information—data—was fragmented, inconsistent, and often invisible across departments and formats. Tackling this data sprawl was no small feat, especially given South32’s operational breadth and stringent safety, compliance, and reporting needs. But as the digital pivot in heavy industry makes data not just a byproduct of operations but a cornerstone of business strategy, South32 set about transforming its information landscape with the Microsoft Purview Unified Catalog. The story of how it linked its people, technology, and processes around trusted data offers critical lessons for any organization seeking to compete in a data-driven world.

Fragmented Data: The Hidden Cost of Scale​

South32’s core dilemma—a lack of clear, unified oversight of its data assets—reverberated through every echelon of the business. With hundreds of teams spread globally, critical information existed everywhere: in databases, spreadsheets, custom applications, and ad hoc reports. This had several impacts:

• Decision-making delays: No one was certain where the latest or most authoritative data could be found, or even if it existed.
• Duplication of effort: Teams repeatedly created similar reports because there was no visibility into what others had already done.
• Inconsistent metrics: Varying definitions and documentation practices meant that the same KPIs were interpreted differently from site to site, undermining collaboration and regulatory clarity.
• Risk and compliance challenges: Missing a single lineage or outdated metric could have repercussions for safety audits or asset evaluations.

The imperative, then, wasn’t just to catalog data—it was to build an ecosystem where data could be reliably governed, accessed, and reused across business boundaries.

Building a Foundation with Microsoft Purview Unified Catalog​

After extensive deliberation, South32 chose Microsoft Purview Unified Catalog as the backbone for its new data governance journey. The decision required thorough evaluation because, as Ash Smith, Manager, Data Platform at South32, noted, “This was something we knew we couldn’t reverse easily so we had to get it right.” The irreversible nature of enterprise data platforms, with their deep integrations into workflow and compliance processes, meant their choice had to deliver both immediate functional value and long-term flexibility.

The Partnership Model: Bringing Expertise and Execution Together​

Selecting the platform was only the first step. To operationalize their vision, South32 partnered with Fujitsu, leveraging the consultancy’s subject matter expertise in data governance. Together, the organizations mapped out data governance (DG) policies and strategized the rollout of an enterprise-wide data catalog in Purview. This partnership was instrumental in connecting three core elements:

• People: Enabling staff at mine sites, corporate offices, and remote teams to trust and access data.
• Processes: Standardizing workflows around data intake, quality checks, compliance, and documentation.
• Technology: Integrating Purview into existing systems such as Azure Databricks, SQL Server, and Power BI.

The Role of Integration in Building Data Trust​

One of the most significant technical achievements of the South32-Purview implementation lay in integration. Purview Unified Catalog’s ability to connect with Azure Databricks, SQL Server, and Power BI provided business users a centralized portal—a “single pane of glass”—to discover and access trusted data. This unified approach meant that:

• Teams could quickly identify the data they needed.
• Ownership and stewardship responsibilities were transparent.
• Data could be reused and built upon rather than remade.

Data Lineage: Unpacking the Black Box​

A stand-out element of South32’s deployment was the emphasis on data lineage—tracing the origin and flow of data through various systems and processes. Recognizing that Purview did not natively support all of the custom data flows in Databricks, especially at the outset, South32’s IT team developed internal customizations to extend lineage capture. This allowed users to:

• Trace the journey of data from raw ingestion to analytic output.
• Understand dependencies and transformations across multiple systems.
• Build trust in the data’s accuracy and context, satisfying auditors and business analysts alike.

This level of transparency was especially critical in high-stakes scenarios like risk management and asset operations, where misunderstood or misapplied metrics could have serious financial or safety consequences.

Overcoming Technical Hurdles: Extending Beyond Native Features​

A particularly notable aspect—emphasized in the Microsoft case study—was South32’s effort in extending Purview's capabilities to ingest metadata and lineage directly from Azure Databricks tables, a function not fully supported by Purview out-of-the-box at the project’s outset. Rather than waiting for Microsoft to release these features, South32’s in-house experts and Fujitsu-designed solutions engineered custom connectors and scripts to extract, transform, and load the necessary information. This development not only closed the technical gap but also underscored the organization's commitment to owning and advancing its data lineage capabilities at an enterprise scale.

Quantifiable Gains: Consistency, Clarity, and Collaboration​

Early feedback from South32’s end users, especially in risk and safety and asset management functions, highlighted immediate improvements.

• Metric Standardization: Each mine site previously maintained its own logic and documentation for critical performance indicators, leading to confusion and misalignment. Now, as Hari Krishna Cheeti, Data Governance Lead at South32 put it, “We have a standard way of defining and documenting critical metrics in Purview, which means we’re all speaking the same language.” This uniformity reduces disputes, expedites decisions, and ensures compliance reports are unambiguous.
• Faster Onboarding: New staff or project teams can instantly discover and understand data assets, dramatically reducing learning curves and onboarding times.
• Reduced Duplication: By cataloging data centrally, duplicate work has significantly declined, freeing resources for higher-value tasks.

The broader, strategic impact of these changes is the foundation for a Common Data Environment (CDE). A CDE aligns data, ownership, and business context across the entire organization, enabling enterprise-wide reporting, advanced analytics, and future AI initiatives.

The Microsoft Purview Unified Catalog: Key Features and Why They Matter​

For organizations considering similar journeys, it’s important to understand what specifically sets Purview Unified Catalog apart, and where its strengths and potential gaps lie.

Centralization with Granular Control​

Purview enables central data discovery while respecting the distributed, team-based nature of enterprise IT. With fine-grained access controls, data can remain secure and compliant with various regulations while being readily available to authorized users.

Automated Discovery and Classification​

The Unified Catalog can automatically scan and classify data assets—structured and unstructured—across cloud and on-premises environments. This automation reduces manual work and ensures that compliance and classification rules are uniformly enforced.

Integration with Azure and Beyond​

Deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem (Azure, Power BI, Databricks) is a major advantage for organizations already invested in the platform. Custom connectors and open APIs also permit extension to non-Microsoft and hybrid environments, though this may require additional engineering effort—as South32’s Databricks integration experience showed.

End-to-End Data Lineage​

Purview’s visualization tools enable users to see the flow of data from raw ingestion through all transformation steps. While this feature is still evolving, and not all platforms are equally well supported, proactive organizations can extend or supplement with custom code.

Business Glossary and Metadata Management​

Perhaps most overlooked but impactful is Purview’s ability to maintain a business glossary and attribute business context to data assets. This is what allows different teams—risk, safety, finance—to use the same KPI or data source and mean exactly the same thing.

Critical Analysis: Notable Strengths and Caveats​

Strengths​

• Holistic Data Governance: The combination of centralized cataloging, lineage, and business glossary provides a 360-degree view of critical data assets.
• Alignment with Business Goals: Standard metrics and reduced duplication enable data-driven decision-making at scale.
• Scalability: Purview’s cloud-native architecture and integration options allow it to adapt as data volumes and sources grow.
• Flexibility through Extensions: The story of bespoke lineage extraction from Databricks demonstrates that organizations can augment Purview as needs evolve.
• User Empowerment: By democratizing access to trusted data, Purview lessens dependency on IT bottlenecks and empowers business experts.

Risks and Limitations​

• Integration Complexity: Support for third-party platforms and custom data sources may require significant in-house expertise and ongoing maintenance, as evidenced by South32’s experience with Databricks lineage.
• Change Management: Successful adoption depends heavily on clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing training. Without these, even the best technology can be underutilized.
• Evolving Feature Set: As a relatively recent product, Microsoft Purview’s feature roadmap is subject to changes. Early adopters may sometimes find gaps in native support for emerging or industry-specific data platforms.
• Dependence on Cloud Connectivity: For organizations with strict data residency or offline requirements, Purview’s cloud dependency may introduce compliance or technical hurdles. Careful review of regulatory obligations is essential.

Lessons for IT and Data Leaders​

The South32 case illustrates the multidimensional nature of modern data governance:

• It is not just a technology problem; it is a problem of culture, process, and enablement.
• Partnering with external consultants or vendors may accelerate knowledge transfer and reduce risk, especially around policy and compliance.
• Executive sponsorship is crucial. Standardizing metrics or processes can encounter resistance from business units wedded to “the way things have always been done.”
• Early investments in integrated, extensible platforms can pay significant dividends as data volumes and business complexity grow.

Tips for a Successful Data Catalog Implementation​

• Assess Existing Data Fragmentation: Catalog what data exists, in what formats, and under what stewardship. Realistic assessment is key to building a sustainable roadmap.
• Define Organizational Data Policies: Develop clear policies around data quality, security, access, and retention—then automate as much enforcement as possible.
• Encourage Stakeholder Buy-in: Early and ongoing communication across business and IT ensures everyone understands the benefits and requirements of unified governance.
• Plan for Extension: Expect edge cases—like unsupported data sources—and allocate resources to develop custom connectors or scripts as needed.
• Track Measurable Outcomes: Focus not only on the quantity of assets cataloged, but on real-world impacts like reduced reporting times, fewer discrepancies, and increased user satisfaction.

Future Outlook: Data as the New Critical Asset​

With its new data foundation in place, South32 is poised to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, including predictive analytics and machine learning. By establishing a trusted, comprehensive, and easily navigable data environment, the company has set the stage for AI-driven operational efficiency, improved safety outcomes, and more robust regulatory compliance.
As more industries recognize data as a strategic asset, the South32 journey stands as a compelling blueprint—forging organizational trust and unlocking value through a blend of technology, partnership, and process expertise. Organizations looking to embark on similar journeys should take heed: success lies in the integration of people, process, and technology, and above all, in building a culture where data can be trusted as the foundation of every decision.

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For organizations struggling with data sprawl or inconsistent reporting, South32’s experience provides both inspiration and caution. The rewards—faster insights, improved compliance, and an empowered workforce—are significant. But achieving them requires vision, investment, and the resolve to see data, not as a byproduct or burden, but as a central and unifying asset.

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Source: Microsoft South32 links people, tech, and trust in data with Microsoft Purview Unified Catalog | Microsoft Customer Stories