> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.validio.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using Lineage

> Navigate and interact with the Validio Lineage page to explore data flow, manage anchors, assign glossary terms, and inspect assets.

The Lineage page displays an interactive graph that visualizes how data flows through your data pipelines. The graph presents data flow from left to right, with upstream entities to the left and downstream entities to the right.

The Lineage page has two tabs: **Assets** (described on this page) and **Domains** (see [Using Domain Lineage](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/lineage/using-domain-lineage.md)). The active tab is persisted in the URL so you can share links to a specific view.

![The Lineage page with a node selected and the details sidebar open](https://mintcdn.com/validio/36lh-6_uXUsulPvT/images/docs/lineage/900-lineage-page.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=36lh-6_uXUsulPvT\&q=85\&s=782691f75aefaa3a67d4cf704ee539b1)

Lineage graph with sidebar

## Set anchors

Anchors are the starting points for lineage exploration. They define which assets or fields to load into the graph.

The **Anchor Dialog** opens automatically when you first visit the lineage page or when no anchors are set. You can also open it by clicking **Anchors (N)** in the page header.

The anchor dialog has two tabs:

* **Assets** -- Search and select catalog assets as anchor points.
* **Fields** -- Search and select individual fields as anchor points.

Both tabs support filtering by glossary terms, domains, types, and source.

To set anchors:

1. Open the anchor dialog and click **Edit**.
2. Search for assets or fields by name.
3. Click the **+** icon next to each item to add or remove it as an anchor.
4. Click **Apply anchors** to load the graph.

You can also toggle anchors directly from the lineage graph by selecting a node or field and clicking **Set as anchor** in the status bar.

## Navigate the graph

| Action | How |
| :- | :- |
| **Pan** | Click and drag on empty canvas. Includes inertia for smooth scrolling. |
| **Zoom** | Mouse wheel, or use the zoom slider in the minimap. |
| **Minimap** | Drag the viewport rectangle in the bottom-right minimap to navigate. |
| **Expand connections** | Click the expand button on a node to load additional upstream or downstream connections. |
| **Collapse layers** | Click a layer header to collapse it. Use "Collapse all" or "Expand all" for bulk operations. |

## Select and inspect

Click on items in the graph to select and inspect them. When an item is selected, a sidebar opens with contextual details and actions.

Selection state is persisted in the URL, so you can share links to specific lineage views.

### Sidebar details

* **Nodes** -- Click an asset node to select it. The node sidebar displays asset details, schema, and a glossary terms section for managing assignments.
* **Fields** -- Click a field row within an expanded node. The [Schema field sidebar](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/schema-and-profiling.md#schema-field-sidebar) displays field details and glossary terms section.
* **Edges** -- Click a connection line between nodes. The edge sidebar shows upstream and downstream connection details, and the edge's [origin](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/lineage/about-lineage-graph.md#edge-origin).

### Sidebar actions

#### For nodes and fields

| Action | Description |
| :- | :- |
| Locate | Center the viewport on the selected item. |
| Set as anchor | Add or remove the item as an anchor point. |
| Propagate | Propagate glossary terms to connected items. Only enabled when the selected item has terms assigned. |
| More info | Open the sidebar with full details. |
| Clear | Deselect the item. |

#### For edges

| Action | Description |
| :- | :- |
| Go upstream | Navigate to the upstream end of the connection. |
| Go downstream | Navigate to the downstream end of the connection. |
| Edit description | Open the edge sidebar to add or edit a markdown description for the connection. |
| Delete edge | Remove the manual connection. |
| More info | Open the sidebar with edge details, including the description, origin, and endpoint information. |

## Focus mode

Focus mode isolates lineage paths connected to a selected item, hiding unrelated nodes and edges to reduce visual clutter. It traces the full chain of transitive dependencies, which is useful for isolating a specific field's lineage from parallel processing paths.

To activate focus mode:

1. Select a node or field.
2. Click **Show connected only** in the toolbar to activate focus mode.
3. The graph re-layouts to show only connected paths.
4. Click the button again or clear the selection to exit focus mode.

When focusing on a field, the graph shows only field-level lineage paths for that specific field.

## Filter the graph

Use the filter toolbar to highlight or narrow down the graph:

| Filter | Description |
| :- | :- |
| **Search** | Free-text search on node names. |
| **Glossary term** | Select terms present in the graph. Matching fields are individually highlighted. |
| **Domain** | Select domains present in the graph. |
| **Tag** | Select tags present in the graph. Supports `ANY OF`, `ALL OF`, and `NONE OF` operators. |
| **Type** | Filter by asset type (e.g., BigQuery Table, Snowflake View). |
| **Location** | Filter by database.schema paths present in the graph. |
| **Source** | Boolean filter for whether the asset is a Validio monitored source. |

Matching nodes are shown in normal colors while non-matching nodes are dimmed. Click **Clear** to remove all filters.

Overlay data (data quality and incidents) reflects the time range selected in the page toolbar. Adjust the time range to narrow the overlay to a specific period.

## Save custom views

Save your current anchor and filter combination as a named search to quickly return to specific lineage views.

1. Configure your anchors and filters.
2. Click **Save as view** above the filter toolbar.
3. Enter a name for the saved view.

Saved views are available workspace-wide and include anchors, filters, and search text. For more information, see [Customizing and Saving Views](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/using-validio/customizing-views.md).

## Glossary terms in lineage

Glossary terms are visible directly on nodes and fields in the lineage graph:

* Nodes show assigned terms as chips below the header.
* Fields show terms inline.
* Propagated terms are visually distinguished from directly assigned terms.

### Assign terms from lineage

Select a node or field, open the sidebar, and use the glossary terms section. For more information, see [Glossary Term Assignments](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/catalog/business-glossary/glossary-term-assignments.md).

### Propagate terms to connected items

Select a node or field with terms assigned and click **Propagate** in the status bar. For more information, see [Glossary Term Propagation](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/catalog/business-glossary/glossary-term-propagation.md).

### Filter by glossary term

Use the **Glossary term** filter in the toolbar. This highlights nodes and fields with matching terms while dimming the rest.

## Add assets and connections manually

You can add assets that are not automatically discovered — for example, tables from databases without a native Validio integration — and create lineage relationships between any assets in the graph.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Looking for AI-powered matching?**
>
> If you need to connect fields between two assets from different systems and field names may differ, use [Lineage Edge Suggestions](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/ai-features/lineage-edge-suggestions.md) to automatically discover matches using heuristic and LLM-based analysis.

To add a new asset:

1. Click **+ New asset** in the toolbar.
2. Enter the asset **Name** and **Description**.
3. The asset appears as a new node in the graph.

![The new asset dialog with fields for the asset name and description](https://mintcdn.com/validio/36lh-6_uXUsulPvT/images/docs/lineage/900-lineage-new-asset.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=36lh-6_uXUsulPvT\&q=85\&s=9c8ca1dd54171189e8992b5040fbfce9)

New asset configuration

To connect assets:

1. Click **+ New edge** in the toolbar.
2. Search for and select the **upstream** assets or fields.
3. Search for and add one or more **downstream** targets.
4. Click **Connect** to create the edges.

![The new edge dialog with the upstream and downstream selection lists](https://mintcdn.com/validio/36lh-6_uXUsulPvT/images/docs/lineage/900-lineage-new-edge.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=36lh-6_uXUsulPvT\&q=85\&s=6cf78c27f7639219bf4cefe52314fac0)

New edge (connections) configuration

## Delete connections

To delete a manually created connection:

1. Click an edge in the graph to select it.
2. Click **Delete edge** in the status bar.
3. Confirm the deletion.

## Access lineage from other pages

You can navigate to the lineage page with a specific asset pre-set as anchor from:

* The **Catalog Assets** list -- Click **View asset lineage** in the asset sidebar.
* The **Asset details** page -- Open the **i** (information) sidebar, and click **View asset lineage**.
* The **Source details** page -- Open the **i** (information) sidebar, and click **View asset lineage**.
* A **glossary term** details page or sidebar -- Click **View in lineage** to open the graph anchored on the term's assignments (assets and schema fields). See [Glossary Term Assignments](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/catalog/business-glossary/glossary-term-assignments.md#view-the-term-in-lineage).

From glossary term pages, you can also open the **Domains** tab focused on a specific term — see [Using Domain Lineage](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/lineage/using-domain-lineage.md).

## Related resources

* [About the Lineage Graph](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/lineage/about-lineage-graph.md)
* [Using Domain Lineage](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/lineage/using-domain-lineage.md)
* [Lineage Edge Suggestions](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/ai-features/lineage-edge-suggestions.md)
* [Business Glossary](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/catalog/business-glossary.md)
* [Root Cause Analysis](https://docs.validio.io/v11.1/docs/incidents-and-errors/root-cause-analysis.md)