What function does the AWS Glue Catalog serve?

The AWS Glue Catalog serves as a metadata repository for data schemas, which is essential for organizing and managing the multitude of data sources within an AWS environment. It stores information about the data, such as its structure (schema), location, and the format. This enables AWS services like Athena, Redshift, and EMR to easily discover and understand the data they are working with, facilitating efficient data processing and querying.

Having a central catalog for metadata ensures that data engineers and analysts can collaborate effectively, as it maintains consistency around the definitions of the data across the various services. The Glue Catalog significantly streamlines the data discovery process, making it easier for users to query and utilize data without having to manually track schemas, thus enhancing productivity and accuracy in data analytics tasks.