Data Lineage: See Which Tool Changed Your File
A file is masked, converted and shared. Weeks later, someone asks what was done to it. Data lineage answers that.
Data lineage is the history of a file: where it came from and every step that changed it. Teams use it to answer simple but important questions. Was this file masked before it was shared? Which columns were hidden, and how? Was it converted from Excel, and which settings were used?
Data Utility now records this for you. Each time you save a result to Recent files, it keeps a short note: which tool ran, the input file, the output file, the row count, the time and the settings. If you use a saved file in another tool and save that result, the new file keeps the whole chain.
Open Data Lineage in the left sidebar to see the chain as a graph. Each box is a file and each circle is a tool. Click a tool to see exactly what it did. For Data Masking, you see every column and its method, such as email partially masked or balance with random noise. For Data Transformation, you see every step in order, such as trim spaces, join on id and concatenate first and last name.
Everything stays on your device. The history is stored in your browser next to your Recent files, and nothing is uploaded. Deleting a file also deletes its history, and you can clear all of it at any time.
Related tool pages
- Data Lineage Tool: Track Every Change to a File: See which tool masked, converted or cleaned each file, and what settings were used, as a graph. Free, and stored only in your browser.
- Track Changes Made to a Data File: Keep a record of every step done to a data file: masking, conversion, cleaning and joins, with the settings used. Free, in your browser, no upload.
How to use the Data Lineage: step by step
- Download or save a result from any tool.
- Use the saved file in the next tool and save that result.
- Open Data Lineage in the left sidebar.
- Click any tool in the graph to see what it did.
When to use the Data Lineage
- Prove a file was masked before sharing it
- Check which settings a teammate used
- Document how a dataset was prepared
- Find which step introduced a mistake
Example
Input: customers.csv → Data Masking → Format Converter
Output: 1. Data Masking · 2. CSV to JSON Converter
Frequently asked questions
What is data lineage?
It is the history of a file: where it came from and every step that changed it. Here you can see which tool did what, in order.
Where is the history stored?
Only in your browser, next to your Recent files. It is never uploaded, and deleting a file deletes its history.
What is Data Lineage?
Data Lineage shows the history of your files as a graph: which tool masked, converted or cleaned a file, and what it did. Click a step to see details, such as which column was masked and how. It is saved in your browser next to Recent files and is never uploaded.
Where is my Data Lineage stored?
Only in your browser, next to Recent files. It is never uploaded. You can name each lineage, and deleting a file deletes its history.
Tip: Give each result a clear file name. The graph shows file names, so good names make the history easy to read.