Lineage tracking in RDBMS sources enables you to understand data flow and dependencies across database objects, including tables, views, columns, and parameters.
Lineage overview
Lineage in RDBMS sources tracks the relationships and dependencies between database assets. This enables you to:
- Understand data flow from source objects to destination objects
- Identify control dependencies between database objects
- Analyze impact of changes across database objects
Lineage helps you determine how changes in one object (for example, a table column or parameter) may influence other downstream objects such as view columns or procedure outputs.
Sample lineage relationships
The following examples on lineage relationships are captured for RDBMS sources:
| Source Asset Type | Destination Asset Type | Lineage Type | Predicate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Inverse Name | |||
| Table Column | View Column | Data Lineage | provides to | provided by |
| Table Column | View Column | Control Lineage | affects | is affected by |
| DB Parameter | DB Result Attribute | Control Lineage | affects | is affected by |
| Table Column | DB Result Attribute | Control Lineage | affects | is affected by |
| Table Column | DB Result Attribute | Data Lineage | provides to | provided by |
- Data Lineage: Represents the flow of data from a source asset to a destination asset. This lineage type indicates that data from the source asset is used to populate or derive the destination asset.
- Control Lineage: Represents control dependencies between assets. This lineage type indicates that changes to the source asset may affect the behavior or execution of the destination asset, without necessarily involving direct data flow.
Both data lineage and control lineage relationships are captured during lineage analysis. However, these relationships are not currently shown visually in the UI.
Predicate definitions
Predicates describe the nature of the relationship between source and destination assets:
| Predicate | Definition |
|---|---|
| provides to | Indicates that the source asset supplies data to the destination asset. Used in Data Lineage relationships to show direct data flow. |
| provided by | The inverse of "provides to". Indicates that the destination asset receives data from the source asset. |
| affects | Indicates that the source asset influences the behavior, execution, or output of the destination asset. Used in Control Lineage relationships. |
| is affected by | The inverse of "affects". Indicates that the destination asset is influenced by changes to the source asset. |
Lineage examples
Example 1: Table Column to View Column (Data Lineage)
A column in a source table provides data to a column in a view. When the source table column is updated, the view column reflects the change.
Example 2: Parameter to Result Attribute (Control Lineage)
A parameter in a stored procedure affects the result attributes returned. Changes to the parameter value alter the output of the procedure.