GMA is the backend infrastructure for DataHub. Unlike existing architectures, GMA leverages multiple storage technologies to efficiently service the four most commonly used query patterns
GMA also embraces a distributed model, where each team owns, develops and operates their own metadata services (known as [GMS](gms.md)), while the metadata are automatically aggregated to populate the central [metadata graph](graph.md) and [search indexes](search-index.md). This is made possible by standardizing the metadata models and the access layer.
Moreover, standardizing metadata modeling promotes a model-first approach to developments, resulting in a more concise, consistent, and highly connected metadata ecosystem that benefits all DataHub users.
