> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.e6data.com/product-documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.e6data.com/product-documentation/~/changes/0iCkDjvnPldS7yucryRX/catalogs.md).

# Catalogs

Understanding Catalogs in e6data

Most analytical data is stored in blob storage platforms like AWS S3, GCS, or Azure Blob Storage. The structural metadata of this data (table names, column names, etc.) is typically stored in Metastores like [Hive](/product-documentation/~/changes/0iCkDjvnPldS7yucryRX/catalogs/create-catalogs/hive-metastore.md), [Glue](/product-documentation/~/changes/0iCkDjvnPldS7yucryRX/catalogs/create-catalogs/glue-metastore.md), Google Dataproc Metastore, Delta Lake, etc.

An e6data Catalog requires access to a Metastore to understand where the data it needs to query is stored.