> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://v2.dataos.info/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://v2.dataos.info/build/stage-1-discover/overview.md).

# Overview

Discovery is the first stage of the Data Product build journey. Use it to find out what data you already have, what you can reuse, and what is missing, before you start building anything new.

Don't start development blind. Inspect the metadata, look at the data, and check whether an existing Data Product already covers the use case. If something is missing, find that out now, not after you've shipped a model.

DataOS supports Discovery through the Data Product Hub and metadata-rich search. Browse curated Data Products, Metrics, and Perspectives, and find the right data for your use case.

### What you can do in Discovery <a href="#what-you-can-do-in-discovery" id="what-you-can-do-in-discovery"></a>

* **Avoid duplicate work.** Check whether an existing Data Product already solves the problem.
* **Understand your data.** Inspect schema, ownership, lineage, and quality signals.
* **Assess reusability.** Explore existing datasets and Data Products.
* **Identify gaps early.** Find missing inputs before you start building.
* **Plan data movement.** Bring in the data you don't have yet.
* **Build with context.** Start from facts, not assumptions.

Each of these answers a different question you need to answer before product development.

### Choose your next step

Open the page that matches what you need to validate next.

* [Explore products](/build/stage-1-discover/explore-products.md): check whether an existing Data Product already solves the need.
* [Inspect metadata](/build/stage-1-discover/inspect-metadata.md): review schema, ownership, lineage, and quality signals.
* [Explore data](/build/stage-1-discover/explore-data.md): query sample data and confirm it fits the use case.
* [Bring data in](/build/stage-1-discover/bring-data-in.md): add the data or metadata you still need.

***


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