Which component of Unity Catalog focuses on auditing and lineage?

The correct choice is focused on auditing and lineage, which are critical aspects of managing data governance in any data management framework. Data governance refers to the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of the data employed in an organization. Unity Catalog specifically enhances data governance by providing features that track how data is used, who accesses it, and the transformations applied to it, thereby creating an audit trail and lineage.

Auditing in this context means monitoring and recording data access and modifications, which helps in compliance and ensures that the data is being used appropriately. Lineage, on the other hand, gives insights into the lifecycle of the data, showing how it moves through various transformations and where it originates from. This level of traceability is crucial for any organization aiming to maintain high data quality and regulatory compliance.

The other options do not directly address the specific functionalities tied to auditing and lineage within Unity Catalog. Access control pertains to permissions and who can see or manipulate data, data transformations involve the processes applied to data, and centralized data storage deals with where data is stored, but none of these directly captures the essence of tracking data usage and history like data governance does.