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.
In the latest user interface, relations are categorized as either explicit or derived:
- Explicit relations: Shows how one asset is related to another asset directly. These were previously referred to simply as relations.
- Derived relations: Shows how one asset is related to another asset that is multiple relations away. Derived relations are available only if the Derived relation support setting in Collibra Console is activated.
The following table describes the differences between explicit and derived relations.
| Explicit relation | Derived relation |
|---|---|
| Shows how one asset is related to another asset. | Shows how one asset is related to other assets that are multiple relations away. |
| A direct, manually created connection between two assets. | An indirect connection between two assets that is automatically inferred based on existing explicit relations. |
| Can be manually added to an asset. | Can't be added to an asset. |
| Appears as a relation table, tile, or list on an asset page. |
Appears as a relation table or list on an asset page, with |
| Use this 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. | Use this 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. |
to indicate that the relation is derived.
