Every entry in dScribe is called an asset. Each asset is of a specific type, which defines its purpose and the properties available on it.
Standard asset types
Report
Dataset (including dataset elements such as columns, filters, and so on)
Definition — business terms and data concepts that help organise knowledge for intuitive understanding
Custom asset types
Administrators can create custom asset types to support specific cataloging needs. Depending on which additional capabilities of dScribe you use, extra asset types might also appear.
Creating an asset manually
The most direct way to create an asset is from the catalog itself:
Click the plus button.
Choose an asset type.
A predefined template for that type appears.
Fill in the form fields and click Save.
For reports and datasets: Manual creation is rarely the best approach. We recommend connecting your source systems via Sources so reports and datasets are cataloged automatically.
Why can't I create new assets? If you don't see the plus button, or a specific asset type doesn't appear in the dropdown, you likely don't have the required permission. Ask your dScribe administrator to add you to the relevant team or update the team's Access Policies.
Asset properties
Every piece of information on an asset is stored as a property. The create form combines three kinds:
dScribe default properties (e.g. Name, Documentation).
Required properties — must be filled in before saving.
Optional properties.
Administrators can customize each asset type via the admin portal. See Asset Types for more info.
AI-assisted creation
While filling in the create form, you can use the AI assistant to speed up documentation:
Generate multiple definition drafts at once based on your input.
Generate a description based on the asset's current metadata.
AI suggestions are never final — review and adjust them before saving.
Avoiding duplicates
If dScribe spots a similar asset already in the catalog while you're creating a new one, it warns you. This helps you reuse what's already there instead of creating duplicates of the same concept under slightly different names.
Other ways to create assets
The plus button is the manual route, but it's rarely the most efficient one. For most large-scale cataloging work, one of the methods below will get you there faster.
From the browser extension
The dScribe browser extension lets users create new definitions directly from inside the tools they're working in — for example, while reading a Power BI report. The definition is added to the catalog and immediately becomes available across dScribe and the extension itself, so the next user encountering the term sees the definition you just wrote.
Bulk uploading definitions via CSV
Need to seed your glossary from an existing list? Definitions can be created in bulk by uploading a CSV file. Useful for migrating an existing glossary into dScribe, or for kicking off a new domain with a list compiled offline.
The CSV upload functionality is currently accessible via https://app.dscribe.cloud/catalog/onboarding/.
Auto-detected from uploaded files
Via the Admin Portal, you can upload existing documents — policies, data dictionaries, internal wikis — and let dScribe's AI analyse them to identify potential definitions for your glossary. Each suggestion can be reviewed, edited, and accepted, so you end up with a curated glossary instead of a noisy import.
Automatic cataloging of reports and datasets
For reports and datasets, the recommended path is Sources. Once a connector is configured for your source system (Power BI, Tableau, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, SAP Analytics Cloud, …), dScribe automatically crawls the source and creates the corresponding assets, including their source-side metadata and lineage. New reports and datasets show up in the catalog without anyone having to register them manually.
Via the dScribe API
For programmatic creation, see Getting started with the API.
Where to go next
→ Editing assets — document an asset once it exists
→ Asset Types — customise which properties appear on the create form, and which are required
→ Sources — connect a source system to catalog reports and datasets automatically
→ Glossary — the four ways to populate your business glossary, including CSV upload and AI file analysis
Have a question or can't find what you're looking for? Use the chat icon inside the catalog to reach the dScribe support team.