Alation is a Data Catalog with an API for logging data health information. This catalog includes datasources, schema, and tables, and can integrate with corresponding data assets in a Lightup workspace. Before you can add an Alation integration to a workspace you must prepare in Alation.

In Alation, each table has a Health tab to format and display data health information. When integrated with Lightup, a Data Quality section on the Health tab lists incidents for monitors of the table's metrics.

Prepare in Alation

1. If you haven't already, enable Data Health.
2. Create a refresh token. Note that the token will expire, interrupting your access to Alation, but you can change the expiration time.
3. Make note of your Alation user ID: it's the integer part of the URL for your User Account Profile in Alation.
4. Keep both pieces of information handy - they are required inputs for integrating Alation.

Add Alation to a workspace

1. Add an integration, and select Alation.

2. In the Add Alation Integration modal, provide values for:

   • Title Add a name for the integration
   • Host Enter the URL of your Alation data catalog
   • User ID This field might be autopopulated in the modal. Make sure the value of this field matches the User ID of the account you're connecting to in Alation. Value must be an integer.
   • User Refresh Token This field might be autopopulated in the modal. Make sure the value of this field matches the Alation Refresh Token that you generated in the preceding procedure.

   

3. Optionally, adjust the Incident Window. The incident window provides a lookback timeframe for incidents. Once a datasource is connected, if an incident occurred during the incident window, it is reported to Alation.

4. Select Send Test Message to verify your connection.

Enable Alation for a datasource

1. On the workspace menu, select Datasources.

2. In the main page, select the datasource's name to open its Datasource menu.

3. Select Edit. The datasource's configuration details open in the main page.

   

4. Scroll down below the Connection Settings. If the datasource is in your Alation Data Catalog, a third section appears: Alation Integration.

   

   • Move the toggle to the right to enable Alation integration for the datasource.
   • Under Choose a datasource, select the source you want to include in regular Health updates to Alation.

5. Select Save to complete the process.

View Table Health

1. With a Lightup-integrated table open in Alation, select the Health tab. Note that the tab label displays a count of ongoing incidents in red.
2. The Health tab lists incidents for the table, with links back to the relevant monitors (in the Rule column) in Lightup for deeper analysis.