Alation: Quick Start Guide / Configuration Checklist

This article is a concise checklist to get the export from IBM Automatic Data Lineage to Alation up and running.

Verify all the steps below. Once completed, you can test the export by running Automatic Data Lineage _run_export_alation scenario script (located here: \mantaflow\cli\scenarios\manta-dataflow-cli\bin).

Alation Preparation and Steps

1. Verify and configure all the necessary prerequisites for Alation.

• Refer to the following article: Manta Flow Alation: Alation Requirements.

2. Create sources and/or servers for Automatic Data Lineage objects (in Alation).

• Refer to the following article: Manta Flow Alation: Alation Configuration.

  • You need to create sources for Automatic Data Lineage database server objects in Alation.

  • You need to create BI servers for Automatic Data Lineage reporting/analytical tool server objects in Alation.

Automatic Data Lineage Preparation and Steps

1. Set up the Alation Export Common configuration (in the Manta Admin GUI) Configuration > Integrations > Alation > Alation Export Common.

• Refer to the following article: Manta Flow Alation: Manta Configuration.

• The core configuration fields are:

  • Alation Server URL

  • Password/Alation API Access Token (the authorization token for the Alation server)

    • This is generated in Alation under My Account > Account Settings > Authentication > Access Tokens.

    • Start by creating a refresh token. Once created, use the newly created refresh token to generate the needed API access token.

  • Server Connection Type (HTTP or HTTPS)

    • If using HTTPS, the public certificate for the Alation application is needed. For more information, see Configuration of the Connection to Alation via HTTPS section in Manta Flow Alation: IBM Automatic Data Lineage Configuration.

    • If using HTTP, leave the manta.alation.keystore property blank (in alationExportCommon.properties).

2. Set up the Alation Mapping configurations for specific technologies (in the Manta Admin GUI) Configuration > Integrations > Alation > TECHNOLOGY NAME Alation Mapping.

• Ensure that the Server ID and Connection ID are set appropriately (under TECHNOLOGY NAME Alation Mapping; i.e., OBIEE Alation Mapping).

  • Manta Flow Alation: Manta-Alation Resource Mapping explains each technology in more detail.

• Also verify the current settings of the TECHNOLOGY NAME Alation Export Common configuration.

Running the Export

After running your Automatic Data Lineage scans (metadata extraction and lineage analysis), the export of these results to the Alation portion (which comes last) requires that two Automatic Data Lineage scenarios be run (technologyAlationExport and technologyAlationUpload).

Example (for exporting Teradata metadata/lineage to Alation):

• teradataAlationExportScenario

• teradataAlationUploadMetadataScenario

Alternatively, you can run _run_export_alation, which contains all export and upload scripts for all technologies (and will just skip the ones which have not been configured).