# Business names

Datasets and dataset fields ingested from a source system carry their **technical names** (`fct_orders_v2`, `cust_id_pk`, `txn_dt`) — names chosen by whoever built the source schema, often unfit for the cross-team operator and analyst audience that consumes the catalog. ODD lets operators assign **business names** alongside the technical name: an alternative human-readable label that surfaces everywhere the entity is shown, while the original name persists below as a reference.

The technical name stays as-is in lineage edges, ODDRNs, and the underlying source — the business name is purely a presentation-layer alias on the catalog surface.

## Setting a business name on a data entity

**Step 1.** On any data entity's detail page, click the **Add Business Name** button.

<figure><img src="/files/5prV58fn4Ul9JkMwdSkv" alt="" height="357" width="700"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 2.** Enter the preferred name in the **Business Name** field and confirm.

<figure><img src="/files/3QT1VLxzbmBkh4wejkQO" alt="" height="425" width="700"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 3.** The newly-assigned business name renders prominently as the entity's display name. The original technical name persists below the new name as an inline reference, so anyone looking at the entity can see both.

<figure><img src="/files/uS3CaXjG5oEaM33Zf7a5" alt="" height="421" width="700"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Setting a business name on a dataset field (column)

The same workflow applies at the column level. Open the dataset's **Structure** tab, find the column to rename, and follow the same Add Business Name flow:

<figure><img src="/files/5CrPAymTxHxXyNI4ilpu" alt="" height="420" width="700"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The dataset's Structure tab renders the business name as the primary column label and the technical name as a secondary line — same pattern as the entity-level rename.

## Where business names appear

Once set, the business name is the primary display label everywhere the entity (or the field) is rendered:

* On the entity's own detail page (Overview, Structure, Lineage, Test reports, Alerts, Query Examples, Activity, Discussions tabs).
* In [Search](/features/data-discovery/search.md) result rows and the per-entity tile on the [Catalog Overview](/features/data-discovery/catalog-overview.md).
* In the [Directory](/features/data-discovery/directory.md) drill-down (level-4 entity list).
* In lineage graphs (per-node label).
* In any catalog surface that renders the entity name.

The technical name is preserved underneath — operators looking for an entity by either name can find it; analysts reading the catalog see the friendlier label.

## RBAC

Setting a business name on a data entity is gated by `DATA_ENTITY_INTERNAL_NAME_UPDATE`. Setting a business name on a dataset field is gated by `DATASET_FIELD_INTERNAL_NAME_UPDATE`. The platform records both as `BUSINESS_NAME_UPDATED` events on the [Activity Feed](/features/active-platform-features/activity-feed.md).

For the full permission list, see [Permissions](/configuration-and-deployment/enable-security/authorization/permissions.md).

## Where to next

* [Activity Feed](/features/active-platform-features/activity-feed.md) — the audit trail of every business-name change (`BUSINESS_NAME_UPDATED`).
* [Permissions](/configuration-and-deployment/enable-security/authorization/permissions.md) — `DATA_ENTITY_INTERNAL_NAME_UPDATE` + `DATASET_FIELD_INTERNAL_NAME_UPDATE`.
* [Search and Filtering](/features/data-discovery/search.md) — where renamed entities surface (search matches against both the technical name and the business name).
* [Data Discovery overview](/features/data-discovery.md) — the bucket landing this page sits under.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.opendatadiscovery.org/features/data-discovery/business-names.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.