The good news is that business leaders and stakeholders are increasingly seeing the value of data lineage in their organizations. The even better news is that the data lineage tool market offers more options for data teams every year.
As a whole, the global data catalog market is projected to grow from $878.8 million in 2023 to $4,680.9 million by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% during this period. That’s respectable.
So, as more data teams enter the market for lineage tools, it’s important to distinguish the apples from the oranges. Much like data lineage itself, knowledge is power when it comes to vetting potential lineage tools.
That's why we’re showcasing five potentially potent tools for data lineage here, noting the pros, cons, and pricing for each.
Data lineage tools: 5 worth considering
Gable.ai
Gable is a pioneering data contracts platform that's proactively bridging the gap between data producers and consumers. It focuses on proactive data quality management (i.e., shifting data quality left) by implementing data contracts early in the data lifecycle. In doing so, Gable allows teams to draft, define, and enforce data contracts, providing a collaborative environment for software developers, data engineers, and data scientists.
While not a traditional data lineage tool, Gable's approach to data contracts offers a unique perspective on lineage. By defining and versioning data contracts, it provides visibility into data origins, transformations, and dependencies, effectively creating a proactive form of lineage tracking that starts at the source of data creation.
Pros:
- Offers a highly proactive approach to data quality
- Uniquely able to integrate directly into development workflows
- Can also reduce costs and wasted effort by maintaining data integrity early in the process
Cons:
- As a relative newcomer, Gable.ai may present a bit of a learning curve compared to other tools listed
Pricing: Interested parties should sign up to Gable’s product waitlist to learn more as details become available.
Alation
Alation is a comprehensive data intelligence platform that offers robust data lineage capabilities. It provides automatic table and column-level lineage, along with business lineage featuring metadata overlays. Alation's strength as a lineage tool lies in its advanced visualization capabilities—including end-to-end mini-map previews and data flow filtering.
Together, these features allow users to trace data from its origin through various transformations to its final use, providing crucial insights for data governance, impact analysis, and regulatory compliance. Alation's lineage capabilities are especially valuable for organizations dealing with complex data ecosystems, as they offer a clear, visual representation of data flows across multiple systems and processes.
Pros:
- A comprehensive data intelligence solution
- Offers advanced visualization capabilities
- Integrates with many data sources
Cons:
- Can be complex to implement and use
- May also be overkill for organizations with simpler needs
Pricing: Alation doesn't publicly disclose pricing. Those interested need to contact sales for a custom quote.
Secoda
Secoda bills itself as a data discovery and documentation platform that emphasizes user-friendliness and automation in its data lineage features. It offers automated data lineage capture and visualization, integrating with a variety of data sources and tools to provide a comprehensive view of data flows.
As a lineage tool, Secoda stands out for its ability to automatically generate and maintain up-to-date lineage information with a minimal amount of manual input. Its column-level lineage capabilities allow for granular tracking of data transformations, making it easier for organizations to understand data dependencies, troubleshoot issues, and assess the impact of changes across their data ecosystem.
Pros:
- Provides a user-friendly interface
- Offers strong integration capabilities
- Lineage capture can be automated
Cons:
- Advanced features may necessitate a learning curve for some
- Like Gable.ai, Scoda is a relatively new player in the market
Pricing: At this time Secoda doesn't publicly share pricing information. Curious parties will need to contact sales for a quote.
Collibra
Collibra is a solid data intelligence platform offering a suite of tools for data governance, cataloging, and lineage. Its data lineage capabilities, specifically, provide end-to-end lineage mapping with technical lineage at table, column, and transformation levels.
Viewed solely as a lineage tool, Collibra provides data teams with a comprehensive view of data flows across an organization. Its interactive lineage diagrams offer intuitive visual representations of complex data relationships, enabling users to easily trace data origins, understand transformations, and assess the impact of changes.
This makes Collibra particularly valuable for organizations that need to prioritize data governance, regulatory compliance, and maintain an in-depth understanding of their data landscape.
Pros:
- Viewed as a comprehensive data governance solution
- Offers strong data lineage visualization capabilities
- Very robust metadata management
Cons:
- Can be expensive for smaller organizations
- Comes with a comparatively complex implementation process
Pricing: Collibra offers yearly licensing subscriptions:
- 12-month plan: $170,000
- 24-month plan: $340,000
- 36-month plan: $510,000
Dbt (data build tool)
Known primarily as a data transformation tool, dbt does data lineage capabilities. However, said capabilities are more limited compared to other tools featured above. It provides table-level lineage within dbt projects, with column-level lineage available in the dbt Cloud Enterprise tier.
Therefore, when viewed as a potential lineage tool, dbt's strength lies in its native integration with data transformation processes.
Dbt does visualize dependencies between models, which helps data teams understand how changes in one part of a data pipeline might affect others.
Its lineage features are more focused on assets managed within dbt projects—making this integration of particular value for organizations already using dbt, as it provides immediate insights into the lineage of transformed data without the need for additional tools.
Pros:
- Native integration with data transformation processes
- Open-source core with active community
- Visualizes dependencies between models
Cons:
- Limited to dbt-managed assets
- Full column-level lineage only available in its Enterprise tier
Pricing: dbt offers three subscription tiers:
- Core: Free and open-source
- Cloud Team: Starts at $50 per user per month
- Cloud Enterprise: Custom pricing, make inquiries to dbt’s sales team
Why are data lineage tools important?
As a refresher, know that data lineage tools should increasingly be seen as table-stakes for modern organizations to establish (and reap the multitude of rewards from) robust data governance and management practices.
It’s these tools that provide the features and functionality that make fostering and maintaining pristine data quality possible.
Enhanced data transparency and visibility
Data lineage tools provide a clear and real-time view of how data flows across an organization, enabling stakeholders to gain deeper insights into data usage, dependencies, and transformations.
Oft-overlooked, this transparency also contributes to a culture of impactful data-driven decision-making.
Improved data quality and accuracy
Automated data lineage tools help identify data quality issues by highlighting anomalies, transformations, and potential errors in the lineage. This early detection allows data teams, stewards, and scientists to address issues promptly, ensuring data remains accurate and reliable.
Efficient compliance and auditing
Data lineage is essential for regulatory compliance, especially in industries with strict and/or complex data regulations. These tools provide an audit trail demonstrating how data is used and processed, facilitating compliance reporting and audits.
Streamlined data governance
Data lineage simplifies data governance by providing a clear understanding of data assets, their ownership, and the impact of made changes. As a result, lineage tools make it easier to enforce data policies and maintain optimal data quality.
Faster troubleshooting and issue resolution
When data issues arise, lineage tools enable faster troubleshooting by allowing data professionals to trace problems back to their source, identify root causes, and implement solutions as quickly as possible.
Enhanced data security
Data lineage helps organizations identify vulnerabilities in their data pipelines and access controls, allowing for the implementation of robust security measures to safeguard sensitive information.
Effective change management
By visualizing how data flows are impacted by changes, teams can assess potential risks and make informed decisions during system upgrades or process modifications.
Support for data-driven decision making
Data lineage empowers more people (both data professionals and their data-adjacent peers) to understand and leverage data assets, supporting true data democratization and enabling more informed decision-making throughout the organization.
Operational efficiency
By automating data mapping and reducing the need for manual impact analysis, data lineage tools can save significant time and resources, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Risk management
Data lineage manages risks associated with data usage, transformations, and access by providing a comprehensive view of data flow and dependencies.
How to choose the right data lineage tool
Situations, organizational needs, technical capabilities, and lineage tools themselves are all always in flux—so there will never be a one “best” way to go about choosing the right data lineage tool.
That said, by carefully considering the following factors and aligning them with your organization's specific requirements, you can streamline to process of learning about and comparing tools, ensuring the chosen tool provides the most value and the best fit possible:
- Determine scope and depth of lineage tracking: Look for tools that provide comprehensive lineage at multiple levels—table, column, and row-level lineage. Ensure the tool captures lineage across your entire data ecosystem, not just from limited sources like BI tools.
- Review integration capabilities: The tool should integrate well with your existing data stack, including data warehouses, ETL/ELT tools, BI platforms, etc. Check the depth of integrations—some tools may claim to integrate with a platform but only offer surface-level connectivity.
- Compare visualization and analysis features: Clear, intuitive visualizations of data lineage are crucial for understanding complex data flows. Look for capabilities like impact analysis, data flow mapping, and the ability to trace data upstream and downstream.
- Determine if automation and metadata collection is necessary: Automated lineage capture reduces manual effort and improves accuracy. The tool should be able to automatically collect and update metadata as your data environment changes.
- Vet each tool’s ability to scale: Ensure the tool can handle your current data volume and complexity, as well as scale as your data ecosystem grows.
- Consider usability and accessibility: The tool should be user-friendly for both technical and non-technical team members. Features like search functionality and collaborative capabilities are valuable.
- Inquire about compliance and governance support: If regulatory compliance is a concern, look for tools that offer features to support data governance and compliance efforts.
- Asses potential performance impact: Consider how the lineage tool might affect the performance of your data systems, especially for large-scale implementations.
- Weigh cost against potential ROI: Evaluate the pricing model and ensure it aligns with your budget and expected value from implementing data lineage.
- Prioritize future-proofing: Choose a tool that can adapt to evolving data architectures and technologies.
- Get a sense of each tool’s support and community: Consider the level of support provided by the vendor and the existence of an active user community for knowledge sharing.
- Determine if complementary features are available: Some tools offer additional features like data quality monitoring or data cataloging that may provide added value.
Looking to shift your lineage left?
Again, the right data lineage tools can dramatically enhance data governance, transparency, and quality within your organization. But it should now be crystal clear that choosing the right solution is crucial. Whether you're looking to streamline compliance, ensure data accuracy, or improve decision-making, having the right tool in your data stack is non-negotiable.
Gable.ai goes beyond traditional lineage solutions by introducing proactive data contracts, which tackle data quality at the source. By implementing Gable.ai's innovative approach, you’ll be setting your team up for long-term success, maintaining data integrity, and reducing costly errors early in the process.
To learn more about how Gable.ai can empower your organization with next-level data contracts and improve your overall data management strategy, sign up for our product waitlist today.
