What is lineage impact analysis and when would you use it?

• A. It shows what assets are affected by changes; used before deploying updates to assess risk.
• B. It shows only the lineage of a single asset with no risk assessment.
• C. Only used after deployment.
• D. Only for data catalogs.

Answer: (A)

Lineage impact analysis looks at how changes propagate through the data lineage to show what assets would be affected if you modify a given dataset, transformation, feature, or pipeline. It helps you see downstream dependencies—such as dashboards, reports, models, and other pipelines—so you can anticipate ripple effects before you deploy updates. You’d use it before deploying changes to assess risk, plan validation and testing, coordinate with teams, and decide what mitigations or rollbacks might be needed. This supports governance and change management by providing a clear map of potential impacts and ensuring data quality remains intact when updates go live. It’s broader than just tracing a single asset, and it’s not something you’d only use after deployment or only for data catalogs.