Manta Flow Alation: IBM Automatic Data Lineage Configuration

Alation Data Catalog Common Configuration

The following configuration contains the base configuration for the export and upload of lineage metadata to Alation. The configuration is available on the Manta Admin UI screen under Configurations > Integrations > Alation > Alation Export Common.

Property name	Description	Example
manta.alation.apiUrl	Base REST API URL of the integrated Alation server in `http(s)://<host>` format	http://192.168.0.26
manta.alation.authentication.mode	Specify how you want to authenticate on the Alation server. Default: This allows Automatic Data Lineage to automatically generate refresh and access tokens for communication. This is the preferred mode as you don't have to re-enter access tokens when they expire. Manual (as of R42.9): Use Alation User ID (numeric) and manually created Alation API refresh token for that user to authorize an export. Refresh tokens automatically expire after 60 days. To authorize another export after that time, you'll need to request another token from Alation and enter it in IBM Automatic Data Lineage. Select this authentication method when using SSO/SAML in Alation, as the Default authentication mode won't work in this setup. Legacy: Alation manually provides an Alation API access token that can be used to authorize an export. Access tokens automatically expire after 24 hours (unless longer token validity is configured in Alation). To authorize another export after that time, you’ll need to request another token from Alation and enter it in Automatic Data Lineage.	`DEFAULT`
manta.alation.username	Username of the Alation user, only applicable to DEFAULT authentication mode	basava@alation.com
manta.alation.password	Password associated with the Alation user, only applicable to DEFAULT authentication mode	`P@s$w0rd!`
manta.alation.loginToken	Authorization token for the Alation server, only applicable to the Legacy authentication mode	X1IklyCKah6ntRBHp1ZcQ19OmAqQyFgKndeS5HgxuF8
manta.alation.uploadBatchSize	Number of objects that will be uploaded to Alation in one batch The recommended value range is between 1000 and 2000	1000
manta.alation.exportExportDate	Flag whether or not to export the export date and time	false true
manta.alation.exportRevisionNumber	Flag whether or not to export the revision number	false true
manta.alation.exportTransformationLogic	Flag whether or not to export the transformation logic (calculation formulas) for individual fields	false true
manta.alation.exportMantaNodeType	Flag whether or not to export the Automatic Data Lineage node type	false true
manta.alation.mantaLineageLink.baseUrl	Base URL of links to Automatic Data Lineage lineage in the format `http(s)://<host>:<port>/<application context>` NOTE: Do not add a trailing `/` Leave empty if the Manta Server URL (the property `manta.repository.url`) should be used Only applicable when `manta.alation.exportMantaDirectLineageLink` or `manta.alation.exportMantaIndirectLineageLink` is set to true	https://manta.mycompany.com:8443/manta-dataflow-server
manta.alation.exportMantaDirectLineageLink	Flag whether or not to export a Automatic Data Lineage direct lineage link as an Alation node attribute	true false
manta.alation.directLineageFilter	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaDirectLineageLink=true Filters applied to Automatic Data Lineage direct lineage referenced by the link; filter names from Automatic Data Lineage UI should be used	Everything DB, files, and reports Database objects Important objects
manta.alation.directLineageInitialDepth	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaDirectLineageLink=true Initial depth of Automatic Data Lineage direct lineage referenced by the link	3
manta.alation.directLineageDirection	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaDirectLineageLink=true Direction of Automatic Data Lineage direct lineage referenced by the link	Both Forward Backward
manta.alation.exportMantaIndirectLineageLink	Flag whether or not to export a Manta indirect lineage link as an Alation node attribute	true false
manta.alation.indirectLineageFilter	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaIndirectLineageLink=true Filters applied to Automatic Data Lineage indirect lineage referenced by the link; filter names from Automatic Data Lineage UI should be used	Everything DB, files, and reports Database objects Important objects
manta.alation.indirectLineageInitialDepth	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaIndirectLineageLink=true Initial depth of Automatic Data Lineage indirect lineage referenced by the link	3
manta.alation.indirectLineageDirection	Only applicable when manta.alation.exportMantaIndirectLineageLink=true Direction of Automatic Data Lineage indirect lineage referenced by the link	Both Forward Backward
manta.alation.maxJobStartChecks	Maximum number of checks whether an uploading job has started. The checking interval is one second. If the job does not start after this number is reached, the job is considered failed.	20
manta.alation.maxJobFinishChecks	Maximum number of checks whether an uploading job has finished. The checking interval is one second. If the job does not finish after this number is reached, the job is considered failed.	300
manta.alation.exportUrl	Specific URL for services provided by the internal metadata repository server	${manta.repository.private.api}/export-alation
manta.alation.refresh-token.user-id (as of R42.9)	Alation User ID (numeric). Only applicable for Manual authentication mode. The Alation User ID can be obtained in Alation. When you open User Profile, the ID is part of the page URL. For example, `https://alation2.int.getmanta.com/user/1/` is an URL with `1` as an User ID.	14
manta.alation.refresh-token.expiration-date (as of R42.9)	Token expiration date in yyyy-MM-dd format. Only applicable for Manual authentication mode.	2020-02-20
manta.alation.refresh-token.manual (as of R42.9)	Refresh token that can be generated in Alation. Each refresh token is unique. Copy the token from Alation and paste it into Automatic Data Lineage. Only applicable for Manual authentication mode.	TpCzyTor00qauxjsa83P9JB6-sBxYSKHhsnTt0Uo-e6reAgfLp5og0Pypg9Ok-1YhySQgg_E3Ojyw-M5VA8CFx

* When you view data lineage diagrams in Alation, you can click a dataflow object to see more information; for example, transformation logic for that object, the date it was exported, and a link to view it in Automatic Data Lineage. The link is only available for dataflow objects. For other objects, such as data assets, BI data sources, or BI reports, the link is not exported.

** These attributes relate to exported links to indirect lineage in Automatic Data Lineage. Indirect lineage is not exported to Alation. For more information, see Entities That Generally Are Not Exported.

Configuration of the Connection to Alation via HTTPS

To establish a secure HTTPS connection from Automatic Data Lineage to Alation, a signed certificate from Alation needs to be added to Automatic Data Lineage list of trusted certificates.

The Automated Way

Add the certificate by using the keystore/truststore editor. For more information, see Edit under Keystore Editor. Use the Provide a Link from the Page option on the Add Entries screen and copy-paste the URL of the Alation instance in the Website URL field.

The Manual Way

Log in to the Alation instance using a web browser. (The instructions below are for Chrome, but any browser can be used.)
(Chrome) Click the padlock to the left of the address bar, and then select Certificate from the menu that appears.
(Chrome) Click the Detail tab, and then the Copy to File... button.
(Chrome) Run the wizard using the default settings to export the certificate.
Go to Admin UI > Configuration > CLI > Common Config > Manta Connectors Truststore and upload the certificate there.

Configuration of Alation Authentication

Authentication for Alation can be configured in two ways.

DEFAULT Mode

Add a login and password for Alation using the editor. For more information, see Edit under the authentication options, editor. (Note that after that is configured, there is no need to provide manually-generated authorization tickets. Automatic Data Lineage will manage the authorization with Alation directly.)

MANUAL Mode (as of R42.9)

Configure the following properties: manta.alation.refresh-token.user-id, manta.alation.refresh-token.expiration-date, manta.alation.refresh-token.manual.

LEGACY Mode

Generate an API access token in the Alation instance.
Add the generated API access token using the editor. For more information, see Edit under the authentication options, editor. (Note that the generated API access token has a short lifespan, usually 24 hours).