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Lineage FAQ

General

What is Lineage?

Lineage lets you visualize how data flows between containers and fields across your datastores. You can explore, expand, and edit connections directly in the UI.

Is Lineage available on all deployments?

Lineage is an add-on feature. It must be enabled for your deployment before the Lineage tab becomes visible. If your deployment is on a trial of the add-on, a Trial badge appears on the tab and in the Add-ons panel. Contact support if you need to extend a trial or request full access.

Does Lineage work with all datastore types?

Yes. Lineage works with both JDBC and DFS datastores. Any container or field within a connected datastore can participate in the lineage graph.

Where do I access Lineage?

Open any container and click the Lineage tab. If the tab is not visible, the Lineage add-on is not enabled for your deployment.

Graph and Navigation

What does the graph show when I first open Lineage?

The initial view shows the focal container and its immediate connections, one level upstream and one level downstream. From there you can expand the graph incrementally.

How do I expand the graph to see more connections?

Containers at the edge of the current view show expand controls on their upstream and downstream sides:

  • Single chevron expands one more level in that direction.
  • Double chevron expands all remaining connections in that direction.

Can I rearrange nodes in the graph?

Yes. Click and drag any node to reposition it however works best for your analysis. These positions are not persisted and reset when you leave the page or click Reorganize in the toolbar, which re-applies the default left-to-right layout.

How do I re-center the view?

Use the Fit view button in the toolbar to fit all visible nodes into view. You can also use Focus current (toolbar → More options) to center on the focal container, or Focus selection to center on a selected node.

What are the anomaly badges on nodes?

Each container node shows a status badge: an alert icon when active anomalies exist, or a check icon when none are found. Hovering over the badge shows the exact count. Clicking the badge (only available when anomalies exist) opens the anomaly panel filtered to that container, so you can investigate quality issues without leaving the lineage graph.

What is field-lens mode?

Clicking a field row inside a container node activates field-lens mode, which highlights the full connection chain for that specific field, showing which upstream fields it derives from and which downstream fields it feeds into. Click the same field again, click anywhere on the canvas, or press Esc to exit.

How are fields listed inside a container node?

Fields inside an expanded container node are grouped into two sections: With lineage (fields that have at least one connection) listed first, and No lineage (fields with no connections yet) listed below a divider. Scroll down to load more fields, and use the search box to filter by name.

Can I zoom the graph?

Yes. Use the + / − buttons in the toolbar, pinch-to-zoom on trackpad, or click the current zoom percentage to choose a preset.

Edges and Connections

What is the difference between container-level and field-level connections?

A container-level connection links two containers, representing that data flows between them without specifying which fields are involved. A field-level connection links two specific fields and captures the precise mapping (e.g. a transformation like UPPER(email)).

Can I mix containers and fields on opposite sides of a connection?

No. Both sides of a connection must be at the same granularity: either container-to-container or field-to-field. A container-to-field or field-to-container connection is not supported.

If I create a field-level connection between fields in different containers, does a container-level connection get created too?

Yes. When you manually create a field-level connection and the source and target fields belong to different containers, Qualytics automatically creates a container-level connection between those containers if one does not already exist.

What is the connection source type?

Each connection has a source type badge that indicates how it was created:

  • Manual — created directly by a user in the UI or via the API.
  • Qualytics managed — generated automatically by Qualytics when a computed container is created or updated.
  • Catalog integration — imported from a connected catalog (e.g. Atlan, Alation, Collibra, Purview, DataHub), shown with that integration's logo.

How do I delete a connection?

Hover over the source type badge on the connection — a delete button appears when you have the required permission. Click it to remove the connection. Deleting a connection does not affect the underlying containers or fields.

Permissions

Who can view Lineage?

Any user with the Member role or above can view the lineage graph, provided they have access to the datastore and the add-on is enabled.

Who can create or delete connections?

Only users with the Manager role can create or delete lineage connections.

Who can enable or disable the Lineage add-on?

Only Admin users can toggle the Lineage add-on on or off from the Add-ons panel. If the add-on is not available for your deployment at all, the toggle is locked. Contact support to request access.

API

Can I manage lineage connections via the API?

Yes. You can create, update, delete connections and query the lineage graph via the API. See the Lineage API page for endpoints and examples.