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Tags in Microsoft Fabric

Tags in Microsoft Fabric let you apply additional metadata to workspaces and items, making it easier to categorize, organize, and discover data.

Tags are configurable text labels, such as Sales – FR 2025, HR – Summer Event, or FY 2025, that admins define at the tenant or domain level.

How tags work

Here's how tags flow from definition to discovery:

  1. Admins define tags. Fabric admins create tenant-level tags; Fabric or domain admins create domain-level tags.

    • Tenant-level tags are available across all items and workspaces in the tenant. They're suitable for broad classifications, compliance, or security labels that apply universally across your organization.
    • Domain-level tags are available only for items and workspaces assigned to that domain. If a workspace isn't assigned to a domain, only tenant-level tags are available. Domain-level tags let domain owners implement more targeted governance policies that reflect the needs of their area. A domain-level tag can't duplicate a tenant-level tag name, but the same name can exist across different domains.

  2. Workspace admins apply tags to workspaces. Workspace tags let you tag at a broad level without tagging each item individually. They're useful for cost attribution, governance reporting, and policy enforcement. A workspace can have up to 10 tags, counted independently from item tags. Non-admin members (Viewer, Member, Contributor) can view workspace tags but can't modify them.

  3. Data owners apply tags to items. Users with Write or Contributor permissions can apply up to 10 tags per item. Available tags include tenant-level tags and, if the item's workspace is assigned to a domain, that domain's tags.

  4. Users discover content by tag. Once tags are applied, users can filter or search for relevant content across the catalog, workspace list, and other surfaces.

  5. Admins govern at scale. Use the metadata scanning (scanner) APIs to programmatically fetch tag associations for items and workspaces and feed them into downstream governance solutions.

How tags enhance data discoverability

Once tags are applied, they enhance visibility across multiple surfaces:

Workspace tags

  • Workspace list: A tag icon appears next to the workspace name in the workspaces list panel. Hover to view applied workspace tags.

    Screenshot showing workspace tags in the workspaces list.

  • Workspace list filtering: Filter workspaces by applied tags in the workspaces list panel and OneLake Catalog Explorer.

    Screenshot showing the workspace tags filter.

  • Workspace view: Workspace tag names appear directly in the workspace screen.

    Screenshot showing workspace tags displayed in a single workspace view.

Item tags

  • Item list views: A tag icon appears next to the item name. Hover to view applied tags.

    Screenshot showing the tag icon and hover card for a tagged item.

  • Workspace item list: Filter items list by assigned tag.

    Screenshot showing the tags filter.

  • Item details: Tags are shown in the OneLake Catalog item details pane of each item.

    Screenshot showing the tag indication in item details.

  • Flyout card: When editing an item, select the item name or sensitivity label to view tags.

    Screenshot showing the tag indication in an item's flyout card.

  • Lineage view: Tags appear in workspace lineage and item-level lineage views.

    Screenshot showing the tag indication in lineage view.

  • Global search: Search by tag name in global search to find all relevant results, along with other metadata like item owner and location.

    Screenshot showing tags used as a search term in the global search.

Tags in APIs

  • Item APIs: Use the Apply Tags and Unapply Tags APIs to add or remove tags from individual items. Use the List Tags API to retrieve applied tag IDs and names for an item.

  • Scanner API: The metadata scanning (scanner) APIs include tag data, so governance and discovery solutions can retrieve tag assignments at scale for both items and workspaces.

    For every applicable item and workspace returned in a scan, the payload includes a tags field containing a list of applied tag IDs. Use the List Tags API to resolve the IDs to tag names.

    Screenshot showing tags in the scanner API response.

Considerations and limitations

Limits

  • A maximum of 10,000 unique tags can be created in a tenant.
  • An item or workspace can have a maximum of 10 tags applied to it at a time. Workspace and item tag limits are counted independently.
  • There's no limit on the number of tagged items or workspaces.

Propagation and visibility

  • After you apply a tag to an item, the icon might take several hours to appear next to the item name. It might also take time before the item appears in global search results when you use the tag name as a search term.
  • Workspace tags are visible only where other workspace metadata is visible to you.
  • When a workspace is moved to a different domain, existing domain-level tags remain applied. However, those tags might not be available in the new domain, so you can't reapply them if removed.

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