A relation is a characteristic that shows how assets are related to one another. The relation type defines which asset types can be related and which connections can exist between the asset types.
A relation can be explicit or derived.
Note Derived relations are available in the latest UI only if the Derived relation support setting in Collibra Console is enabled.
| Explicit relation | Derived relation |
|---|---|
| A direct, manually created connection between two assets. | An indirect connection between two assets that is automatically inferred based on existing explicit relations. |
| Shows how one asset is related to another asset. | Shows how one asset is related to other assets that are multiple relations away. |
| Appears as a relation view (table, tiles, or list) on an asset page. | Appears as a comma-separated list of assets, with the label Derived on an asset page. |
| Can be created if there is no existing path to the asset, or if there is an existing path but it doesn't convey the same business meaning that you need. | Can be created if there is an existing path that already conveys the same business meaning that you need. However, if you experience performance issues with a derived relation, use an explicit relation instead. |