About relation types

Updated: May 8, 2026

A relation is a characteristic that shows how assets are related to one another. Each relation type relies on a specific definition that establishes its meaning and specifies which asset types it can connect. A relation type consists of four elements: a head (start), a tail (end), a role, and a co-role.

Because relations are bidirectional, they can be traversed in two ways. For example, in the relation type "Column is part of / contains Table", the Column asset is part of the Table asset, and the Table asset contains the Column asset. A role represents the direction when navigating forward from the head to the tail, while a co-role represents the inverse direction when navigating backward from the tail to the head.

You can associate a relation type with an asset type by adding the relation type to the asset type assignment. This allows users to create explicit relations of that relation type for the assets. Ultimately, relation types help you build and navigate a rich, interconnected graph of your data assets, making it easier to understand dependencies, impact, and the overall lineage of information across your organization.

Kinds of relation types

In the latest user interface, a relation type can be of one of the following kinds.

Kind	Description
Explicit	An explicit relation type connects two asset types directly together. Previously, explicit relation types were referred to simply as relation types, a naming convention still used in the classic user interface. The latest user interface uses the term "explicit relation types" to distinguish them from the newly introduced "derived relation types".
Derived	A derived relation type connects multiple asset types together. A derived relation is a kind of relation that shows how one asset is related to another asset that is multiple relations away. The Derived Relations feature is available only in the latest user interface, and only if the Derived relation support setting in Collibra Console is activated.

Elements in a relation type

A relation type has four elements, which are described in the following table.

Element	Description
Head	The asset type of the assets that serve as the starting point (the head) of the relation. The head is also referred to as the source.
Tail	The asset type of the assets that serve as the end point (the tail) of the relation. The tail is also referred to as the target.
Role	The description of the relation type's meaning when originated from the head asset and directed toward the tail asset. A role represents the direction in a relationship between two assets. It describes how the head asset interacts with or is related to the tail asset. For example, in the relation type "Column is part of / contains Table", the role is is part of, which indicates the relationship from the perspective of the head asset (Column) toward the tail asset (Table).
Co-role	The description of the relation type's meaning when originated from the tail asset and directed toward the head asset. A co-role represents the inverse direction in a relationship between two assets. It describes how the tail asset interacts with or is related to the head asset. For example, in the relation type "Column is part of / contains Table", the co-role is contains, which indicates the relationship from the perspective of the tail asset (Table) toward the head asset (Column).

Where to find all relation types

To find all relation types, click → Settings → Relation types.

The Relation types page contains both out-of-the-box and custom relation types. You can find the asset types in which a specific relation type is used by selecting the corresponding row and then clicking Used In. The Kind column indicates if a relation type is explicit or derived.

Choosing between explicit and derived relations

When you want to establish a relation between two asset types, follow these guidelines to decide whether to choose an explicit relation or a derived relation.

Use an explicit relation if	Use a derived relation if
There is no relation path linking the two asset types that conveys the desired business meaning. Tip A derived relation is calculated based on other relations, so it can be built only if a path with the desired business meaning already exists. There is a relation path linking the two asset types but it doesn't fully convey the desired business meaning. You need individual control over each asset. That is, you don’t want to have the derived relation established wherever the underlying relation path exists. Tip Adding a derived relation type to an asset type assignment shows the derived relation for all assets within the assignment, which may not be what you intend. If you want to manage relations for each asset individually, choose an explicit relation instead. You encounter performance issues and limitations with a derived relation.	There is a relation path linking the two asset types that conveys the desired business meaning. You want a relation that shows connections for all assets wherever the relation path exists, updates itself if the path changes, and consumes less database space.

Use an explicit relation if

Use a derived relation if

There is no relation path linking the two asset types that conveys the desired business meaning.
Tip A derived relation is calculated based on other relations, so it can be built only if a path with the desired business meaning already exists.
There is a relation path linking the two asset types but it doesn't fully convey the desired business meaning.
You need individual control over each asset. That is, you don’t want to have the derived relation established wherever the underlying relation path exists.
Tip Adding a derived relation type to an asset type assignment shows the derived relation for all assets within the assignment, which may not be what you intend. If you want to manage relations for each asset individually, choose an explicit relation instead.
You encounter performance issues and limitations with a derived relation.

There is a relation path linking the two asset types that conveys the desired business meaning.
You want a relation that shows connections for all assets wherever the relation path exists, updates itself if the path changes, and consumes less database space.