How Column-Level Lineage Works

Column-level lineage shows how individual columns move between tables. Use it to:

• Understand how one table relates to another.
• Run impact analysis before you change a column.
• Trace where a column comes from and what depends on it.

OpenMetadata can generate this lineage automatically. You can also edit it by hand to add anything that is not detected.

View Column-Level Lineage

To see the column-level lineage of a table:

1. From the left navigation bar, select Explore, or use the search bar at the top.
2. Open the table you want to inspect.
3. Select the Lineage tab.
4. Select the Layers button and turn on Column. Each table in the graph now lists its columns.
5. Select a column to follow it through the graph.

If a table shows no column links, generate them with a Lineage Agent (see the next section) or add them by hand.

Generate Column-Level Lineage Automatically

Run a Lineage Agent on the database service that holds the tables:

1. Open the database service, then select the Agents tab.
2. Select Add Agent > Lineage.
3. Configure the agent, then save it.
4. On the Agents tab, find the Lineage Agent and select Run.

When the run finishes, open the table’s Lineage tab to see the new links.

Manually Edit Column Level Lineage

OpenMetadata supports manual editing of both table-level and column-level lineage. Use it to add links that are not detected automatically. To link columns by hand:

1. Open the table and select the Lineage tab.
2. Show the columns on the node, either by expanding the node or by turning on the Column layer under Layers.
3. On the column you want to link, open the Lineage options menu and select Edit Upstream or Edit Downstream. A panel slides out.
4. In the panel, set the following fields:
   • Select Asset: Select the asset that holds the other column. The asset must already be on the graph.
   • Select Column: The column in that asset to link to.
5. Click Add to create the link. Click Cancel to close the panel without saving.
6. Repeat for each column you want to link.

To remove a column link, select the edge to open its details, then use Actions > Delete. You can also select the edge and press Delete or Backspace.

Metric Column Lineage

A metric is often calculated from a single column. Link the column to the metric so the lineage shows exactly which field feeds the metric. For example, link sales.amount to the metric Total Sales.

• Direction: Connect a column to a metric (column feeds the metric), or a metric to a column.
• Endpoint: A metric has no columns of its own. In column-level lineage, the metric appears as one connection point that carries the metric’s own name.
• Impact Analysis: The column-to-metric link also appears in the column-level Impact Analysis view, so you can see which metrics depend on a column before you change it.

To remove the link, select the edge on the Lineage tab and use Actions > Delete.