What's new and changed in watsonx.data intelligence

IBM Software Hub Version 5.4.0

A new version of watsonx.data intelligence was released in June 2026 with IBM Software Hub 5.4.0.

Operand version: 2.4.0

This release includes the following changes:

New features

This release of watsonx.data intelligence includes the following features:

Run multiple data quality rules with a single click

To run multiple data quality rules at once, you can now organize them in data quality rule groups.

Import, enrich, and assess the quality of data from additional data sources

You can now import metadata from Microsoft Azure Fabric Warehouse data sources, enrich that data, and assess its quality.

Query data assets and document libraries in natural languages other than English

The Text-to-SQL service now uses a multilingual embedding model so that you can create natural language queries in languages other than English. In upgraded deployments, you must reprocess existing metadata with the new model.

Sync reference data sets to external databases

Reference data sets can now be synchronized to external databases and then consumed as regular governed data assets. With this enhancement, a reference data set can be profiled, queried via SQL, joined with other data sets, and reused consistently across the platform. This enables broader consumption of reference data for validation, standardization, analytics, and AI use cases.

Import and export reporting queries

You can now export your reporting queries in batch into a JSON file, and import JSON files with queries. Bulk import and export lets teams easily migrate, back up, and manage large collections of reporting queries across environments.

Main menu improvements

You can now view and manage all artifacts grouped by type, and all categories by opening Governance > All artifacts from the main menu.

Control data and metadata access with the Access data preview permission

You can now assign the Access data preview permission to users and user groups across all projects, catalogs, and deployment spaces to have more control over who can view the actual data and address security requirements. Users without this permission can view asset metadata, but they are blocked from previewing actual data.

By default, the new permission is included in the following predefined roles:

• Administrator
• Business Analyst
• Data Engineer
• Data Scientist
• Data Steward
• Data Quality Analyst
• Developer
• User

If watsonx.ai and DataStage are deployed, the following tools and views are disabled for users and user groups without the permission:

Watsonx.ai

• AutoAI
• SPSS Modeler
• Jupyter
• Pipeline
• RStudio

DataStage

• Data previews (canvas)
• Data previews for data sets and file sets

Update role assignments and any custom roles that you have for users who need to preview asset data.

Browse asset hierarchies

You can now explore and manage connected, custom, and unstructured assets from the Hierarchies pane on the catalog Assets page. Information about relationships between available data sources, databases, schemas, tables, and columns in catalogs is available in one structured view. With these details, you can, for example, navigate relationships across multiple asset levels, view detailed information for assets at any level, or bulk select assets across levels to manage metadata more efficiently.

Access data assets with AWS Databricks delivery method

You can now use the AWS Databricks delivery method to access a data product with AWS Databricks assets. After you subscribe to a data product and it is delivered to you, you can directly access the AWS Databricks resources and view details about how to use them.

Access data assets with Snowflake delivery method

You can now use the new Snowflake delivery method to access a data product with Snowflake assets. After you subscribe to a data product and it is delivered to you, you can directly access the Snowflake resources and view details about how to use them.

Integrate notebooks across watsonx.data intelligence and projects

When you install Watson Studio or watsonx.ai, you can use Data Product Hub to share or reuse your watsonx.data intelligence notebooks. As a data producer, you can add notebooks and data assets from your project directly to a data product. When you deliver a data product, recipients can download the included notebooks for their own use. You can also add notebooks to projects from data products.

Customize data product request forms to match your organization's needs

Customize your data product request forms to collect the exact information that your organization requires. Choose and edit multiple field types to create a form that fits your workflow.

Create flexible data product delivery options with custom delivery methods

Create a custom delivery method based on your use case. You can configure your delivery method to be used in restricted or public data products and to support multiple data source types and asset types.

Set up watsonx.data intelligence MCP server and use natural language to interact with data

Now you can do key tasks by using your AI agent and watsonx.data intelligence MCP server. Use natural language prompts to securely access and explore your data and to complete tasks for data governance and catalogs, data quality, data lineage, and Data Product Hub.

Work with Unstructured Data Integration flows in watsonx.data intelligence

You can now install Unstructured Data Integration as an optional component in watsonx.data intelligence to ingest, transform, enrich and curate unstructured data from diverse sources.

Create and manage document classes for unstructured data processing from the UI

You can now create and update document classes that are used in unstructured data curation and integration by using the new document class editor.

Process unstructured documents in multiple languages

You can now ingest and curate unstructured data documents in the following languages:

• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Polish
• Spanish

Use semantic chunking in Unstructured Data Integration

You can now select semantic chunking in the Chunking operator. This option produces chunks that follow natural topic and meaning boundaries rather than arbitrary size limits, resulting in more coherent context units, higher‑quality embeddings, more accurate retrieval, and reduced noise during downstream question‑answering.

Summarize chunks with AI in Unstructured Data Integration

Generate AI-powered summaries for each document chunk to improve context understanding and retrieval accuracy.

Ingest and store unstructured data by using more supported connectors

You can now ingest data from the following sources:

• Confluence
• Google Drive

You can also use the following target databases for vector store:

• OpenSearch
• DataStax Astra DB

You can use the following databases for storing document sets and for entity store:

• Microsoft Azure Databricks
• PostgreSQL
• Db2
• Oracle

Unstructured data curation supports a subset of these connectors.

Work with more file types in Unstructured Data Integration

You can now process the following file types:

• HTML
• XLSX
• BMP
• GIF
• JFIF
• JPG
• JPEG
• PNG
• TIFF
• TIF

Unstructured data curation supports a subset of these file types.

Track data flow changes by comparing lineage versions

You can now compare two versions of a lineage graph to identify which assets were added, removed, or modified between versions. This comparison helps you to understand how your data flows evolved and assess the downstream impact of those changes.

Monitor processed OpenLineage events

You can now monitor OpenLineage events in a centralized dashboard to verify event ingestion, identify failed or pending events, and troubleshoot processing issues. The dashboard also helps you understand the overall health of the OpenLineage processing pipeline by showing event volume and trends over time.

Export data lineage to OpenLineage payloads

You can now export data lineage as an OpenLineage .json payload, making it compatible with any application that supports the OpenLineage standard format.

Import lineage from new data sources

You can now import lineage metadata from the following additional data sources:

• IBM Netezza Performance Server
• Tech preview SAP BusinessObjects
• SAP HANA

Connect to new data sources by using version 1.5.0 of the Manta agent

You can now import lineage metadata from the following data sources by using the updated Manta agent:

• Db2
• Db2 for z/OS
• Db2 on Cloud
• SAP BusinessObjects
• Tableau

Manta agent version 1.5.0 is now available. Version 1.4.0 is deprecated, and versions 1.0.0, 1.1.0, and 1.2.0 are no longer supported. Update unsupported agent versions and consider upgrading version 1.4.0 instances to the latest version 1.5.0.

Pause and resume the import of lineage metadata from Qlik Sense and SAP HANA

You can now pause lineage metadata imports from Qlik Sense and SAP HANA and resume them at your convenience. This control is especially useful when importing large data volumes that require extended processing time.

Delete lineage from a specific point in time

You can now delete lineage data from a specific time range to remove data that you no longer need or that was imported by mistake. Only data imported during your specified time range is deleted, helping you focus on relevant lineage information.

View asset ownership directly on the lineage graph

You can now see the assigned owner, whether a user or a group, displayed directly on assets in the lineage graph. This immediate visibility saves you time by eliminating the need to open the metadata details panel to find ownership information as you explore data lineage relationships.

Updates

The following updates were introduced in this release:

• Improved column names in business lineage

  When you view business lineage, the columns now have meaningful names instead of placeholder values like 1, 2, or 3.

• Data quality updates
  • You can now preview a subset of the rule output records when you test the rule. You don't have to define an output table.
  • You can now access the details of the applied data quality checks also from the data quality tab for a catalog asset.
• Term assignment updates
  • Rule-based artifact assignment

    You can now also set up rules and rule groups for how you want classifications to be assigned to data assets and columns. You can upload the rules to a project as a CSV file for consumption by the term assignment service.

  • Refine term assignment results with AI

    You can now enable LLM-based term review where a large language model selects the best-matching terms from the existing assignments and cleans up other assigned or suggested terms.

• Reporting updates
  • You can now share individual queries with user groups.
  • The reporting data model is now updated with multiple modified and newly added columns.
• Workflow updates
  • Workflows can now be accessed from Configurations and settings in the main menu.
  • The subheader of a request in task inbox now shows the status of the request.
  • When customizing a governance artifact workflow type, you can now use task form fields in the workflow template.
  • You can now export and import workflow configurations between two systems by using API.

• When you import lineage from IBM Cognos® Analytics, you can now connect directly to this data source. Manta agent is no longer required.
• You can now view the source code of the transformation assets on the lineage graph to check the details of the transformation logic for the following data sources:
  • Apache Hive
  • Snowflake
• When you import lineage metadata from IBM Data Virtualization, you can now use a connection with the API authentication method.
• The PROC EXPORT and PROC IMPORT statements of Statistical Analysis System (SAS) are now processed and displayed on the lineage.
• You can now choose which API retrieves table and column data from Databricks. The SQL Statements API is enabled by default and is appropriate for most imports. If your specific use case performs better by using the Lineage-tracking API instead, change the configuration by using the Use lineage-tracking API property.
• When you select a child asset row on a data lineage graph, the related column-level nodes are now automatically expanded. You no longer need to expand each node individually or all nodes, even unrelated, at the same time.
• When you view asset metadata on the data lineage graph, you can now navigate to the source data product by using a direct link.

• Unstructured data curation updates
  • A foundation model is now used to match data classes to document content instead of the regex matching method.
  • Additional configuration options are now available for analysis and processing. You can select an additional language script for extraction of text and entities during analysis and enable Optical Character Recognition for analysis and processing.

Subscribe to multiple data products in one request

When you are searching for data products or viewing data product details, you can add multiple data products to a shopping cart. You can review your selections, manage items in your cart, and submit a subscription request for all products at once.

Import YAML files to create a data contract or data product

You can now upload a YAML file that follows the Open Data Contract Standard version 3.0.1 to create data contracts or data products. You can configure and add the domain, connection, and assets before importing.

Validate data contracts with automated quality testing

You can now validate data contracts directly from Data Product Hub using IBM Data Quality rules. You can retrieve the test results through the API to verify that your data meets the contract requirements.

Return your data product subscription

Return a data product subscription that is delivered through direct access when you no longer need it. Returning a subscription immediately revokes your access to the data product. You can resubscribe at any time if you need access again.

Preview data assets in your subscriptions

You can now preview data assets from your subscriptions in a table format. Your administrator must grant you access before you can see the preview.

Enable or disable delivery methods based on your organizational business or data policies

You can now enable or disable specific delivery methods for your data products to align with your organizational business or data policies. This option gives you control over which methods are available to consumers based on your organization's requirements.

Customer-reported issues fixed in this release

For a list of customer-reported issues that were fixed in this release, see the Fix List for IBM Cloud Pak for Data on the IBM Support website.

Security issues fixed in this release

The following security issues were fixed in this release:

CVE-2013-7458

CVE-2016-10517, CVE-2016-8339

CVE-2018-11218, CVE-2018-11219, CVE-2018-12326, CVE-2018-12453

CVE-2019-10192, CVE-2019-10193

CVE-2020-14147

CVE-2021-31294, CVE-2021-32626, CVE-2021-32672, CVE-2021-32761, CVE-2021-3470

CVE-2022-24735, CVE-2022-24736, CVE-2022-24834, CVE-2022-36021, CVE-2022-3647, CVE-2022-40896

CVE-2023-25155, CVE-2023-28856, CVE-2023-38552, CVE-2023-45143, CVE-2023-45145

CVE-2024-10977, CVE-2024-31228, CVE-2024-31449

CVE-2025-10158, CVE-2025-11187, CVE-2025-12084, CVE-2025-13465, CVE-2025-13836, CVE-2025-14104, CVE-2025-14505, CVE-2025-15281, CVE-2025-15366, CVE-2025-15367, CVE-2025-15467, CVE-2025-15468, CVE-2025-15469, CVE-2025-21605, CVE-2025-22234, CVE-2025-32023, CVE-2025-4207, CVE-2025-46817, CVE-2025-46818, CVE-2025-46819, CVE-2025-48367, CVE-2025-49844, CVE-2025-50537, CVE-2025-55130, CVE-2025-55131, CVE-2025-55132, CVE-2025-59464, CVE-2025-59465, CVE-2025-59466, CVE-2025-6176, CVE-2025-66199, CVE-2025-68157, CVE-2025-68160, CVE-2025-68161, CVE-2025-68458, CVE-2025-69418, CVE-2025-69419, CVE-2025-69420, CVE-2025-69421, CVE-2025-8291, CVE-2025-9086, CVE-2025-9820

CVE-2026-0540, CVE-2026-0861, CVE-2026-0915, CVE-2026-1299, CVE-2026-1525, CVE-2026-1526, CVE-2026-1527, CVE-2026-1528, CVE-2026-21637, CVE-2026-21710, CVE-2026-21925, CVE-2026-21932, CVE-2026-21933, CVE-2026-21945, CVE-2026-22184, CVE-2026-2229, CVE-2026-22795, CVE-2026-22796, CVE-2026-23745, CVE-2026-23897, CVE-2026-24842, CVE-2026-25128, CVE-2026-25547, CVE-2026-25639, CVE-2026-25934, CVE-2026-26996, CVE-2026-27135, CVE-2026-27903, CVE-2026-27904, CVE-2026-2950, CVE-2026-29786, CVE-2026-31802, CVE-2026-32141, CVE-2026-33228, CVE-2026-33671, CVE-2026-33672, CVE-2026-33750, CVE-2026-33814, CVE-2026-33891, CVE-2026-33894, CVE-2026-33895, CVE-2026-33896, CVE-2026-34043, CVE-2026-34601, CVE-2026-39883, CVE-2026-39892, CVE-2026-39983, CVE-2026-40087, CVE-2026-40175, CVE-2026-40186, CVE-2026-40260, CVE-2026-40347, CVE-2026-40895, CVE-2026-40931, CVE-2026-41168, CVE-2026-41238, CVE-2026-41239, CVE-2026-41240, CVE-2026-41305, CVE-2026-41312, CVE-2026-41313, CVE-2026-41314, CVE-2026-41481, CVE-2026-41650, CVE-2026-41672, CVE-2026-41673, CVE-2026-41674, CVE-2026-41675, CVE-2026-42037, CVE-2026-42038, CVE-2026-42039, CVE-2026-42041, CVE-2026-42043, CVE-2026-42044, CVE-2026-4424, CVE-2026-44728, CVE-2026-44740, CVE-2026-44973, CVE-2026-4786, CVE-2026-4800, CVE-2026-4867, CVE-2026-5121, CVE-2026-6100

Deprecated features

The following features were deprecated in this release:

Older Manta agent versions are now deprecated

Manta agent version 1.4.0 is deprecated, and versions 1.0.0, 1.1.0, and 1.2.0 are no longer supported. Update unsupported agent versions and consider upgrading version 1.4.0 instances to the latest, version 1.5.0.