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dbt lineage visualization

The dbt lineage visualization in dbt-Workbench provides deterministic, readable graphs so teams can trust what they see. Layouts are built with D3/dagre for consistent positioning, while controls let you explore large projects without losing context.

Core capabilities​

  • Deterministic D3/dagre layout for consistent model placement.
  • Model + column lineage with a shared graph experience.
  • Grouping controls by schema, resource type, or tag.
  • Depth controls to focus on relevant subgraphs.
  • Expand/collapse for large DAGs.
  • Impact highlighting for upstream and downstream changes.

dbt lineage graph workflow​

  1. Start on the Lineage page and pick a model.
  2. Expand upstream and downstream nodes to surface dependencies.
  3. Turn on column lineage for deeper tracing.
  4. Use grouping and depth settings to declutter the graph.

For deep column tracing, move to the dbt column lineage page.

FAQ​

How is the dbt lineage graph laid out?​

dbt-Workbench uses a deterministic D3/dagre layout so the graph is stable between refreshes and across users.

Can I see both model and column lineage?​

Yes. Model-level lineage is available by default, and column-level lineage can be enabled for detailed tracing.

Does the graph support grouping?​

Grouping by schema, resource type, and tags is supported with collapsible aggregates.

How do I highlight impact?​

Upstream and downstream impact highlighting is available at both model and column granularity.

What artifacts power lineage?​

Lineage is derived from dbt manifest.json and catalog.json artifacts.