> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ovaledge.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ovaledge.com/release8.3/advanced-tools/build-auto-lineage.md).
# Build Auto Lineage
Data Lineage tracks data from its source to its destination, tracing it through transformations, steps, and usages. It visualizes data flow, helping with data integrity, regulatory compliance, data quality improvement, and effective data management.
**Data lineage is crucial for several reasons:**
* **Data Quality:** It shows where data comes from and how it changes. Understanding the lineage helps identify and fix data quality issues.
* **Compliance and Governance:** Data lineage shows how data is handled and where it is used. It helps organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements and demonstrate data provenance.
* **Impact Analysis:** Data lineage shows the impact of changes to data sources or transformations on downstream processes and applications.
* **Troubleshooting:** Data lineage helps trace the origin of data issues or errors and speeds up resolution.
* **Data Understanding:** Clear data lineage helps analysts, scientists, and business users understand the data and its relationships.
Data lineage often appears in visual diagrams, showing the data's path from source to destination with steps and transformations. These diagrams are part of a larger data governance framework and are valuable for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data.
Lineage is built using the Views, Stored Procedures, Functions, Triggers, Package Body, Source Code of ETL and Reporting databases, and Files (JSON, XML, yaml, .csv, and .config files).
**There are two methods for building lineage within the application:**
1. **Manual Lineage:** This process builds lineage manually using
1. Lineage Maintenance
2. Load Metadata from Files
3. Advanced Jobs
4. API’s
2. **Auto Lineage**: This process creates lineage automatically using
1. Parsing queries or Source codes using Build Auto Lineage
2. Advanced Jobs
***
Copyright © 2025, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners, GA, USA.
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:
```
GET https://docs.ovaledge.com/release8.3/advanced-tools/build-auto-lineage.md?ask=&goal=
```
`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.