The Lineage & Impact Analysis page creates interactive diagrams that visualize the journey of your data — tracing the flow from data connections and databases through tables and fields, all the way to the Tableau workbooks, dashboards, and storyboards that depend on them. It answers two key questions: where does this data come from? and what will break if it changes?
New to these concepts? See our guides on Tableau impact analysis and metadata management for BI teams.
Use Cases
- Impact Analysis: Determine exactly which dashboards and worksheets will break if a database team modifies a table or removes a column.
- Dependency Tracing: Starting from a Tableau workbook, trace back to the exact database tables and fields it depends on.
- Governance: Identify which workbooks are using a specific data connection to support access control reviews or decommissioning decisions.
Prerequisites
To use this page, metadata must first be exported to a configured database by processing workbooks with the Database output type.
Read-Only Users — Ask an Admin or Power User to configure a metadata source and run an export.
Page Layout
The page is divided into three independently collapsible sections. Click the header of any section to expand or collapse it.
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Filters | Select your source type and apply cascading filters |
| Impact Analysis | (Data Connection mode only) A summary of all Tableau objects impacted by your selection |
| Lineage Diagram | The visual representation of data flow |
Section 1: Filters
Step 1 — Select a Source Type
| Source Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Data Connection | Start from a data connection and trace downstream to the Tableau assets that depend on it. Also triggers the Impact Analysis section. |
| Tableau Server | Start from a Tableau site, project, or workbook and visualize the full data lineage, including the upstream data sources, tables, and connections that feed your Tableau content. |
Step 2 — Apply Cascading Filters
Once a source type is selected, a row of cascading filter dropdowns appears. Each level only becomes active after the one above it is selected.
Data Connection Mode
| Filter | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Data Connection | ✅ Yes | Select one or more connections. Submit is disabled until at least one is chosen. |
| Database Name | Optional | Activates after a connection is selected |
| Table Name | Optional | Activates after a database is selected |
| Field Name | Optional | Activates after a table is selected |
Tableau Server Mode
| Filter | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Site Name | ✅ Yes | Select one or more sites. Submit is disabled until at least one is chosen. |
| Project Name | Optional | Activates after a site is selected |
| Workbook Name | Optional | Activates after a project is selected |
Step 3 — Submit or Reset
- Submit — Generates the Lineage Diagram and (in Data Connection mode) the Impact Analysis. Disabled until the minimum required filter is selected.
- Reset Filters — Clears all filter selections and resets the diagram and impact analysis. Disabled when no filters are applied.
Section 2: Impact Analysis (Data Connection Mode Only)
This section appears automatically when the Data Connection source type is selected. It provides a structured count of every Tableau object impacted by your selection.
Exporting Impact Analysis
An Export to Excel button is available at the bottom of this section. It downloads a timestamped .xlsx file with detailed impact analysis for offline review. The export button is disabled if no results are present.
Section 3: Lineage Diagram
The Lineage Diagram is an interactive, node-based visualization of the data flow generated by your submitted filters.
Node Types
| Level | Node types |
|---|---|
| Data Level | Connection, Database, Table |
| Tableau Level | Datasource, Datasource Table, Field, Calculated Field, Set, Group, Bin, Hierarchy |
| Visual Level | Workbook, Worksheet, Dashboard, Storyboard |
Highlighting and Tracing
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Hover over a node | Highlights the node and all its directly connected nodes and edges. Non-connected nodes and edges become dimmed. |
| Click a node | Locks the highlight in place so it remains active when you move your mouse. Click the same node again to unlock it. Multiple nodes can be locked simultaneously. |
| Clear Highlights | A button below the diagram clears all active hover and locked highlights at once. |
Navigation Controls
| Control | Location | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom In / Out / Fit | Bottom-left of the diagram | Standard zoom controls and reset-to-fit-view |
| Mini-Map | Bottom-right of the diagram | A thumbnail overview of the full diagram showing your current viewport. The mini-map itself is zoomable and pannable. |
| Mini-Map Toggle | Small button embedded in the diagram corner | Click to show or hide the mini-map |
Next Steps
- Understand the Excel export format: Impact Analysis Export (Excel)
- Explore metadata dashboards: Metadata Insights