Managing catalogs

This article covers how Cortex assigns entities to catalogs automatically, plus how to create, edit, delete, and track changes to your own catalogs.

Adding an entity to a catalog

After Cortex imports or creates an entity, it automatically assigns the entity to a catalog based on that catalog's entity type criteria. When you create a custom catalog, you can define its entity type criteria.

Default catalogs come with preset entity type criteria:

• The Services catalog contains service entities.

• The Domains catalog contains domain entities.

• The Teams catalog contains team entities.

• The Infrastructure catalog contains any entity that isn't type service, domain, or team.

Custom entity types belong to the Infrastructure catalog by default. To move a custom entity type to a different catalog, add it there directly.

Creating a custom catalog

Users with the Edit Catalogs permission can create, edit, or delete catalogs

You can create catalogs in the Cortex UI. For each catalog, you set the criteria that determine which entities belong to it. You can also define custom entity types to categorize the entities in your catalogs.

Because catalogs aren't defined by a YAML file, you can't create them through a GitOps workflow.

To create a new catalog:

1. From the main sidebar, expand Catalogs, then select All catalogs.

2. In the upper-right corner, click Create catalog.

3. On the Create new catalog page, do the following:

   1. In the Details section:

      1. Under Catalog name, enter a new name for the catalog (required).

      2. Under Description, enter an overview of the catalog.

      3. Under URL, enter a custom URL for the catalog. By default, the URL matches the catalog name. If the URL is updated, the latest URL will be activated immediately, and any previous URL navigates to the catalog list page as a fallback.

         • Example - For a catalog named "ML Models", the auto-generated slug might be ml-models, resulting in a URL like: https://app.getcortexapp.com/admin/catalog/ml-models . You could customize the slug to something like machine-learning, giving you: https://app.getcortexapp.com/admin/catalog/machine-learning.

      4. Under Display icon, select an icon to represent the catalog.

   2. In the Catalog filter section:

      1. From the Entity type tab, select one or more entity types to include their respective entities in the catalog. You can select entity types manually, or use advanced options like a CQL expression. Every entity that matches the criteria you set here is automatically included. Choose one filter type: entity type or relationship type.

         • Optionally, expand Advanced options to refine entity selection by applying additional filters for groups or a CQL expression. You can also skip other filters entirely and use a CQL expression alone to define the entity type selection.

      2. From the Relationship type tab, select a relationship type to filter which entities appear on the catalog page.

4. By default, Draft is toggled on. If you're ready to publish your changes, toggle it off.

5. Click Create.

New catalogs are found under Catalogs > All catalogs, automatically populated with entities that match your criteria. Catalogs with a relationship type filter display as a hierarchy.

Editing a catalog

Users with the Edit Catalogs permission can edit a catalog's name, description, URL, display icon, and filter type.

1. From the main sidebar, expand Catalogs, then select the catalog you want to edit.

2. In the upper-right corner, click Edit catalog. The Edit catalog page opens.

3. Refer to step 3 in Creating a custom catalog for detailed information.

4. Optionally, toggle on Draft to save your changes without publishing them.

   • When you're ready to publish, toggle off Draft, then click Save.

5. Click Save.

Deleting a catalog

Users with the Edit Catalogs permission can delete a catalog.

You should only delete a catalog if you're absolutely sure it's no longer needed. Deleting a catalog does NOT delete the entities in that catalog.

1. From the main sidebar, expand Catalogs, then select the catalog you want to delete.

2. In the upper-right corner, click overview menu icon.

3. Select Delete catalog. The Delete catalog window opens.

4. Click Delete.

Tracking catalog changes

Use the audit log to track changes made to any of your catalogs. Catalog updates are listed as CATALOG in the Object type column. The Action type column indicates whether a catalog was created, deleted, or updated.