11. Data Lineage

Trace data as it flows from source tables to dashboards and reports.

11.1 What is Data Lineage?

Data lineage is the documented history of how data moves and transforms across systems. It answers: "This KPI is broken — which upstream table did it come from?" or "If I change this table, which dashboards will be affected?"

11.2 How Lineage Works in Metaustral

Lineage is expressed as directed edges between catalog assets. Each edge has a source, a target, an optional transformation type (e.g. "ETL", "SQL view", "dbt model"), and a free-text description. From any asset's detail page, you can view both upstream and downstream dependencies. Editors and above can create or delete lineage edges.

Data lineage graph — upstream and downstream dependencies between assets, with transformation type labels on each edge.

11.3 Business Benefits

• Impact analysis: before changing a table, see which downstream assets depend on it.
• Root cause analysis: when a report breaks, trace the data pipeline upstream to find the issue.
• Compliance: demonstrate the full chain of data movement for sensitive datasets.
• Trust: analysts understand where their numbers come from.