Updated in Release 6.1
Setting Up Business Lineage (Data Governance)
This guide is for users with the Data Governance, Data Manager or Admin role.
It covers enabling Business Lineage, configuring System of Record, and assigning Layers in order to start rolling up, pushing down, and propagating context across your assets.
Step 1: Open Business Lineage Settings
Go to Settings → Business Lineage Settings.
From here you can turn on Business Lineage overall (disabled by default) and control each propagated property individually
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System of Record,
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Source in K,
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DQ Test,
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Terms,
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Issues, and
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Warnings
If a toggle is turned off, nothing of that type is propagated via Business Lineage
Step 2: Configure the System of Record collection
A System of Record collection is used to record where data originates.
Add your list of System of Record as instances to this collection.
Step 3: Assign Layers to your table-level assets
Layer values (Raw, Consumption, Presentation) can be set on table-level asset types: Table, Report, Data Pipeline, Dataset Table, ML Model, File, Procedure, and Macro.
Assigning Layers to an individual asset
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Open the asset's profile.
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In the sidebar, find the Layer property in the Details section
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Select the appropriate layer.
Layer is automatically pushed down to each table's own columns (Column, Dataset Field, Sheet) — you'll see it there as read-only.
Assign Layers in bulk
For larger rollouts, use bulk actions rather than editing assets one at a time:
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Use search to find all Raw assets — e.g. a Linked search from Schema to Table — to select the assets you want to update.
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Select Action -> Bulk action and add Layer
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Apply the value to your selection.
Step 4: Assign System of Record to your Raw assets
Assign the System of Record collection to each of your Raw assets.
System of Record is only necessary to add to Raw assets.
Assigning System of Record to an individual Raw asset
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Open the asset's profile.
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Go to the Lineage tab. Select Business Lineage option.
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Scroll to the System of Record section and click Add.
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Add / remove System of Record as necessary.
Assign System of Record to Raw assets in bulk
For larger rollouts, use bulk actions rather than editing assets one at a time:
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Use search to find Raw assets that belong to a specific System of Record - e.g. All raw tables that belong to a specific Schema - to select the assets you want to add to a System of Record.
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Select Action -> Bulk action and add System of Record.
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Apply the value to your selection.
Step 5 (optional): Add a manual lineage edge
Most lineage is discovered automatically. If two tables need a connection that isn't discovered, you can add one manually — but which type you add changes what travels across it:
|
Edge type |
What it carries |
When to use it |
|---|---|---|
|
Business Lineage edge |
Layer reference only |
You just need the upstream Layer context to show up — no Terms, Warnings, Issues, or DQ Tests need to travel across it |
|
Technical Lineage edge |
Everything — Layer, System of Record, Terms, Warnings, Issues, DQ Tests, Source in K |
You want the connection to behave exactly like a real, discovered lineage edge |
Add either from the asset's Lineage tab. If you're not sure which one you need, default to a Technical Lineage edge — a Business Lineage edge deliberately carries less.
Step 6: Run Daily
Once your configuration is in place, the daily job picks it up automatically on its next run — no manual trigger is needed. If you need to run Business Lineage immediately, go to Settings → Batch Manager and kick off the Daily job.
Each run fully recalculates business lineage and propagation from scratch, and re-applies any suppressions that have been set.
Tips for reviewing Business Lineage settings
|
Situation |
What's happening |
What to do |
|---|---|---|
|
I don't see a Layer field on an asset |
The asset type doesn't have a Layer concept |
Only the eight table-level types (Table, Report, Data Pipeline, Dataset Table, ML Model, File, Procedure, Macro) have an editable Layer; Database/Tool/Query/Dataset and several others don't have one at all |
|
A column shows no System of Record |
Its parent table doesn't have one set or propagated to. |
System of Record only reaches columns by push-down from their own parent table — never from another column, even if column-level lineage exists |
|
Nothing is propagating after I set things up |
Business Lineage is not configured. |
Check Settings → Business Lineage Settings — only System of Record is on by default; Source in K, DQ, Terms, Issues, and Warnings must be enabled individually |
|
An asset I deleted is still showing context downstream |
Business Lineage hasn't recalculated since the deletion |
Wait for the next daily run, or trigger it manually from Batch Manager — deleting an asset or attribute stops it from propagating further once recalculated |