Resource Scope and Operations Reference

A curated quick-reference guide for the key resource types and operations in OpenMetadata. Use this when designing rules and policies — look up which resources cover the access you want to control, then pick the operations that match what the user needs to do.

Resource Categories

Every object in OpenMetadata belongs to a resource category. When you build a rule, the resource you select determines which objects that rule applies to. The table below maps every category to the real-world access it controls and flags how sensitive broad permissions in that category are.

Category	Resources included	What this access controls	Risk level
AI / Agent	AI Application, Agent Execution, Agent Strategy, AI Governance Policy, AI Persona, Dynamic Agent	Who can build, run, and govern AI workflows and personas. Over-permissioning here can cause automated processes to run without oversight.	High
APIs and apps	API Collection, API Endpoint, API Service, App, App Marketplace Definition, Bot	Who can register and call external APIs and install marketplace apps or bots. Controls your third-party integration surface.	Medium
Analytics and dashboards	Chart, Dashboard, Dashboard Data Model, Dashboard Service, Data Insight Chart	Who can view or modify BI visualizations. Dashboard Services (Tableau, Power BI) govern the source connection itself.	Medium
Data assets	Database, Database Schema, Table, Stored Procedure, Query, Saved Query, Query Cost Record	The broadest data access category. Controlling Table access effectively gates most downstream use – queries, dashboards, and pipelines all depend on it.	High
Data platform services	Database Service, Pipeline Service, Messaging Service, Search Service, Storage Service, Drive Service, Metadata Service, Security Service	Controls connection credentials and pipeline execution authority. Over-permissioning here can affect your entire data infrastructure.	Critical
Data governance	Glossary, Glossary Term, Tag / Classification, Domain, Data Product, Data Contract, KPI / Metric	Who can define business vocabulary, apply sensitive labels like PII or Confidential, and manage data products and contracts.	Medium–High
Files and documents	File, Directory, Container, Page, Learning Resource	Access to file-level metadata and documentation. Lower risk unless the files themselves contain sensitive data.	Low–Medium
Ingestion and pipelines	Ingestion Pipeline, Ingestion Runner	Who can create or trigger metadata ingestion jobs. Controls what metadata flows into OpenMetadata.	High
ML and LLM	ML Model, ML Model Service, LLM Model, LLM Service	Governs AI and ML model usage and the platforms hosting them. Controls your AI inference surface.	High
Workflow and automation	Workflow, Workflow Definition, Workflow Instance, Event Subscription	Who can design, deploy, and trigger automation flows and event-driven processes.	High
Data quality and testing	Test Case, Test Definition, Test Suite, Test Case Result, Test Connection Definition	Who can create, edit, or view test results – including failed row samples, which may contain production data.	Medium–High
Collaboration	Feed, Notification Template, Web Analytic Event	Activity feeds and user interaction tracking.	Low
User and access control	User, Team, Role, Policy, SCIM	The most sensitive category – controls who exists in the system and what they’re allowed to do.	Critical
Reporting and monitoring	Report, Entity Profile, Entity Report Data, Audit Log	Access to usage reports and audit history. Audit Logs are particularly sensitive – they reveal all system activity.	Medium–High
Misc	Topic (Kafka), Worksheet, Context Memory, Prompt Template, MCP Execution, MCP Server, MCP Service	Messaging topics, AI prompt templates, and the MCP orchestration layer. Prompt Templates and MCP Services carry elevated AI risk.	Medium–High

Key Principles

Service resources (Database Service, Pipeline Service, and so on) control the connection itself – granting Edit on a service gives access to every asset in that service.
User and access control resources are the most sensitive category. Changes to EditPolicy and EditRole affect the entire permission model.
AI and Agent resources govern automated execution paths. Restrict Agent Execution and Dynamic Agent to roles that actively need to run workflows.
Data governance resources (Tags, Glossary Terms, Domain) may seem low risk, but incorrect PII labelling can have compliance consequences.

Operations Reference

Operations define what action a user can take on a resource. The table below covers the most commonly used operations — what they allow, how sensitive they are, and who should have them.

Important: EditAll overrides every other edit permission. Only assign it when full editing access is intentional – otherwise use the specific edit operations you need.

Operation	What it lets a user do	Risk level	Who should have it
`ViewBasic`	See limited metadata – name, type, owner	Low	All roles
`ViewAll`	See full details – schema, lineage, tags, all metadata	Low–Medium	Analysts and above
`ViewUsage`	See who queried an asset and how often	Medium	Analysts, data engineers
`ViewSampleData`	See actual row-level data	High	Senior analysts, admins
`ViewTests`	See data quality test results	Low	Analysts and above
`ViewQueries`	See the SQL text of executed queries	Medium	Data engineers, admins
`ViewDataProfile`	See column stats – null %, value distributions	Medium	Analysts and above
`ViewTestCaseFailedRowsSample`	See the rows that failed a quality test	High	Data engineers, admins
`Create`	Create a new asset	Medium	Data engineers, admins
`BulkCreate`	Create many assets at once	Medium	Data engineers, admins
`Delete`	Permanently delete an asset	Critical	Admins only
`EditAll`	Full edit access – overrides all other edit operations	High	Data engineers, admins
`EditDescription` / `EditDisplayName`	Edit descriptions and display names	Low	Data stewards and above
`EditTags` / `EditGlossaryTerms`	Apply labels like PII or Sensitive; assign glossary terms	Medium–High	Data stewards, admins
`EditLineage` / `EditEntityRelationship`	Change lineage and relationships between assets	Medium	Data engineers
`EditOwners` / `EditTeams` / `EditUsers`	Change who owns or manages an asset	High	Admins
`EditPolicy` / `EditRole`	Change access control rules and roles	Critical	Admins only
`CreateTests` / `EditTests`	Create and update data quality tests	Medium	Data engineers
`Deploy` / `Trigger` / `Kill`	Deploy, run, or stop a pipeline or workflow	High	Data engineers, admins
`GenerateToken`	Create API access tokens	Critical	Admins only
`Impersonate`	Act as another user	Critical	Admins only
`AuditLogs`	Access the system activity log	High	Admins, compliance officers
`CreateScim` / `EditScim` / `DeleteScim` / `ViewScim`	Manage identity provisioning through Okta or Azure AD	Critical	Admins only

Viewing Permissions Hierarchy

Viewing permissions follow a hierarchy – each level adds more detail than the one below it. Grant only the lowest level the user genuinely needs.

Permission	What it adds
`ViewBasic`	Baseline – see asset name, type, and owner. Safe for all authenticated users.
`ViewAll`	Adds full schema, lineage, tags, glossary terms, and all metadata fields.
`ViewDataProfile`	Adds column-level profiling statistics – null %, value distributions.
`ViewUsage`	Adds query frequency and who accessed the asset and when.
`ViewQueries`	Adds the actual SQL text of executed queries.
`ViewSampleData`	Adds actual row-level data. Treat this as data access, not just metadata access.
`ViewTestCaseFailedRowsSample`	Adds rows that failed quality tests – these often contain production data.

ViewSampleData and ViewTestCaseFailedRowsSample expose real data. Treat them with the same care as direct database access – require approval before assigning and review usage regularly via Audit Logs.

Building Blocks of Authorization – Rules, Policies, and Roles – how to build rules and policies using these resources and operations.
Use Cases – practical examples of role and policy configurations.

​Resource Scope and Operations Reference

​Resource Categories

​Key Principles

​Operations Reference

​Viewing Permissions Hierarchy

​Related Pages

Resource Scope and Operations Reference

Resource Categories

Key Principles

Operations Reference

Viewing Permissions Hierarchy

Related Pages