Glossary term propagation spreads term assignments from one asset or field to connected assets and fields via lineage edges. This enables you to assign a term once at the source and have it flow automatically to all downstream (or upstream) consumers, reducing manual curation effort.

How Propagation Works

Propagation uses the lineage graph to identify assets and fields that are connected to the selected entity. When you propagate terms from a node or field, the system traces lineage edges to find all directly connected targets and assigns the same terms to them.

Propagated assignments are tracked separately from manual assignments. Each propagated assignment records its origin, so you can trace where a term came from.

Propagate Terms from Lineage

1. Select a node or field in the lineage graph that has glossary terms assigned to open the sidebar.

2. Click Propagate in the Glossary section of the sidebar panel.

   The Propagate button is only enabled when the selected entity has at least one glossary term assigned.

3. In the Propagation terms dialog, review:

   • Terms to propagate -- Each assigned term is listed with a checkbox. Uncheck any terms you do not want to propagate.
   • Target assets and fields -- Targets are grouped by direction (upstream and downstream). Each target shows its name, path, and whether it already has the term assigned. Review the direction carefully — propagating upstream shares context with data producers, while propagating downstream shares it with consumers.

4. Click Propagate to apply the assignments.

Propagation Preview Dialog

The propagation preview shows exactly what will happen before you confirm:

• Target groups -- Organized by upstream and downstream direction.
• Target items -- Each item shows the asset or field name, its location, and whether the term is already assigned. Use checkboxes to include or exclude individual targets.
• Summary -- A count of how many targets will receive new term assignments.

Manual vs. Propagated Assignments

Glossary term chips throughout the platform visually distinguish between manual and propagated assignments:

Removing Propagated Assignments

When you remove a manually assigned term from an asset or field, any propagated assignments that originated from that manual assignment are also automatically removed. This ensures that propagation stays consistent — if the source assignment no longer exists, its downstream (or upstream) propagated copies are cleaned up.

Related Resources

• Business Glossary
• Glossary Term Assignments
• Using Lineage