Free Data Lineage: Transform Data and Share the Result with Its Lineage
When you hand someone a cleaned or masked file, they often ask what you did to it. A lineage report answers that in one page.
Data lineage is the history of a dataset: where the input came from, what transformations were applied and what the result is. Most lineage tools need servers, accounts and setup. Data Utility records it for you, free, inside your browser.
Run your transformations as usual: convert Excel to CSV, trim and join, filter, mask personal data or run SQL. Each time you download or save a result, Data Utility keeps a step: the input file and its source, the tool, the settings and the output with its row count.
Open Data Lineage to see the graph and click any step for details. To share it, click Result + lineage. You get one ZIP with your file, LINEAGE.html and lineage.json. The HTML page shows a tree from the input file through each transformation to the result, with a SHA-256 checksum so the receiver can confirm the file is unchanged.
Everything is created in your browser. Your data and your history are never uploaded.
Related tool pages
- Free Data Lineage Tool: A free data lineage tool for files: transform data, see input, transformations and result as a graph, and download a shareable HTML lineage report. No signup, no upload.
- Data Lineage Report as HTML: Download a data lineage report as a single HTML page: a tree from the input file through every transformation to the result, with settings and a SHA-256 checksum.
- Share Your Data Together with Its Lineage: Send a result file and the proof of how it was made in one ZIP: your data, a lineage report in HTML and a JSON copy. Free, created in your browser.
- Data Audit Trail for CSV and Excel Files: Keep an audit trail of what was done to a CSV or Excel file: conversions, cleaning, joins and masking, with the settings used. Free, in your browser.
- Data Provenance Tool for Files: Record where a data file came from and every transformation applied to it. See it as a graph and export an HTML provenance report. Free, no upload.
- What Is Data Lineage? Free Tool to Track It: Data lineage shows where data came from and what happened to it. Learn the basics and track it for free for any file you process.
How to use the Data Lineage: step by step
- Transform your data in any Data Utility tool.
- Open Data Lineage to check the graph.
- Click Result + lineage to download the ZIP.
- Send the ZIP; open LINEAGE.html to read the tree.
When to use the Data Lineage
- Prove a file was masked before sharing
- Give an auditor the steps behind a report
- Hand over cleaned data with its method
- Keep a record for GDPR or internal reviews
Example
Input: customers.csv → Data Masking → Format Converter
Output: customers.json + LINEAGE.html (input → transformations → result)
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 the input, each transformation with its settings, and the result.
Is there a free data lineage tool?
Yes. Data Utility records lineage as you transform data, shows it as a graph and lets you download it as an HTML report. It is free and needs no account.
Can I share the lineage with the result?
Yes. Click Result + lineage to download a ZIP with your file, a LINEAGE.html report and a lineage.json copy.
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.
Tip: Reuse a saved file from Recent files in the next tool so the new file keeps the whole chain.