Welcome to Foundational

This article provides an overview of each part of the UI so you can move confidently, work efficiently, and make the most of every feature.

You’ll see how everything connects — from the Dashboard, Impact Analysis and Data Lineage to Data Quality, Workflows and Integrations. Each area has its own detailed article, but this guide helps you understand the big picture first.

Whether you’re exploring data relationships, monitoring quality, or managing users, this is your starting point for navigating Foundational with ease.
Each page is interactive and there are many options to perform filters and searches and expand or collapse panes.

So take it easy, and use this article to help you become familiar with the layout and key elements of each page.

Typical use cases

Knowing the Foundational interface isn’t just about where specific buttons or fields are — it’s about understanding when to use each page and feature so you get the most value from your data ecosystem.

The table below highlights common scenarios and which page you’d use to address them.

Page	Use this page when…
Impact Analysis	You’ve created or proposed a change (or are reviewing someone else’s) and want to see if it will break something, and what assets it might affect. You want to understand all the changes made in a specific platform — for example, all updates done in Power BI yesterday.
Data Lineage	You need to understand how a specific field or dashboard metric is calculated (e.g. how the system defines “active customer”). You’re planning a change — such as removing, renaming, or recalculating a column — and need to see which dashboards or tables depend on it.
Data Catalog	You’re exploring existing assets to see what’s already available (e.g. “Do we have a dashboard for ARR in Europe?”). You want to view detailed information about a data asset — for example, checking recent changes to a Power BI dashboard that’s showing unexpected numbers.
Workflows and Alerts	You want to be notified when specific changes occur (e.g. if someone modifies how Salesforce reports total sales). You want to ensure key changes are communicated and approved by the right teams (e.g. alert Finance before changes that affect their dashboards).
Data Quality	You want to monitor and maintain data integrity and check for unexpected nulls, corrupted records, or stale datasets.

Menu pane

The Menu Pane’s always visible, so you can easily access each page.

Impact analysis

The Impact Analysis page shows how asset changes and modifications ripple through your data ecosystem. It helps you see which datasets, tables, and columns are affected by updates — and where those effects extend downstream.

Use this page when:

you want to assess the impact of a proposed or completed change — whether it’s your own or someone else’s — and understand which assets might be affected.

You can search, filter, and explore lineage graphs to fine-tune your analysis and evaluate the scope of each change.

The page includes:

Impact levels: Shows the scale of each change.
New and fixed issues: Shows affected assets and recent resolutions.
Modified tables and columns: Provides context for each changed data element.
Downstream dependencies: Displays connected assets influenced by the modification.

Sample page

The numbers in the screenshot identify key parts of the Data Lineage page.

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Impact summary	Impact status, Link to GitHub, pull request details.
2	Search bar	Search panel for identified issues
3	Modified objects	Tables, columns
4	Search	Tables and column details
5	Screen header	Left to right: Search bar, Lineage Focus filter, Reset graph, Layout graph, Share icon, Expand/collapse graph toggle, resize screen
6	Lineage focus	Multiple filters
7	Data lineage icons	Graph icons left to right: Information icon - opens a related information panel Search icon Hide from map
8	Data Lineage Graph	Click to expand/collapse
9	Last Scan	Datetime stamp

Data Lineage

The Data Lineage page visualizes how data flows across your ecosystem — from source systems to transformations and end-use destinations. It helps you trace dependencies, understand relationships, and verify the integrity of your pipelines.

Use this page when you:

need to trace how a specific field, table, or dashboard metric is calculated, or
are planning a change that could affect downstream assets.

You can search, filter by asset type, platform, or schema, and zoom into specific relationships for deeper analysis.

The page includes:

End-to-end lineage maps: Shows datasets and column relationships across systems.
Upstream and downstream connections: Shows data flow between linked assets.
Filtering and zoom options: Supports flexible exploration of complex lineages.
Data catalog access: Provides direct links to metadata for each connected asset.

Sample page

The numbers in the screenshot identify key parts of the Data Lineage page.

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Search bar	Search assets by name or path.
2	Filters	Refine lineage results by asset type, platform, database, schema, or certification.
3	Recent Places	Named assets. Click to open related data catalog details.
4	Top Searches	Named assets. Click to open related data catalog details.
5	Show only my searches	# ON/OFF toggle

For more details, check out the articles in the Data Lineage category.

Data Catalog

The Data Catalog page gives you a complete view of your data assets and their details across platforms. It helps you understand what each dataset represents, where it comes from, and how it’s used.

Use this page when you:

want to discover existing assets related to a specific concept, or
explore detailed information about a dataset without diving into its lineage.

You can search, filter, and explore tables, columns, and metadata to find exactly what you need.

The page includes:

Dataset summaries: Shows AI-generated descriptions and key dataset details.
Column-level details: Shows data definitions and metadata for each field.
Lineage links: Shows upstream and downstream connections between assets.
Ownership, certifications, and metadata: Provides context and governance information.
Usage and cost insights: Shows how often data is used and its associated value.

Sample page

The numbers in the screenshot identify key parts of the Data Catalog page/s.

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Recent assets	Displays data assets you’ve accessed recently. Click an asset to open its details view.
2	Data Catalog details menu	Shows available sections for the selected asset, including Documentation, Usage, Costs, Data Quality, and Data Definitions. Each link opens a pane with related details.
3	Metrics	Shows key metrics such as total rows, total storage, and last query activity for the selected dataset.
4	Charts	Each chart visualizes trends over time, including reads, writes, deletes, row count, and table size.
5	Lineage	Displays the upstream and downstream relationships for the dataset. Click Explore on Graph to display the graph.
6	Upstream / Downstream indicators	Shows the number of connected assets that feed into or depend on the dataset.
7	Columns	Lists all columns in the dataset with options to expand and view more details.

Workflows and Alerts

The Workflows and Alerts page lets you automate notifications and actions when specific changes or events occur in your data ecosystem. It helps ensure that important updates are communicated to the right people and that reviews or approvals happen consistently.

Use this page when:

you want to be notified about certain types of changes — such as schema updates, new issues, or modifications to key assets, or
you need to set automated approval flows for data-impacting actions.

You create, customize, and manage workflows and alerts by defining triggers and actions.

The page includes:

Workflow list: Shows all existing workflows and alerts with their current status.
Workflow editor: Shows workflow creation and editing options, including trigger conditions and actions.
Trigger configuration: Defines what events or changes activate a workflow.
Action setup: Specifies who to alert and what happens when a trigger occurs.
Monitoring checboxes: Options to track updates in both active and proposed environments.

Sample page

The numbers in the screenshot identify key parts of the Workflows and Alerts page.

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Existing trigger	Summary information on the affected asset and related actions
2	Add new	Add a new workflow
3	Edit / Delete	Appear on hover over an existing worfklow
4	Status toggle	Enable or disable toggle
5	Detect changes	Checkboxes to activate selected tracking
6	Trigger on	Dropdown to select the trigger
7	Maximum severity	Dropdown to select severity
8	Match filter	Add a prefix to refine filters
9	Issue types to monitor	Dropdown to select all or a subset

Data Quality

The Monitoring Settings page displays all configured data quality monitors in your environment. It lets you track which tables are being checked, what rules are applied, and the current thresholds for anomalies or null values.

Use this page to:

View tables that have active data quality monitors.
Check which monitoring rules are applied to each table or column.
Review threshold values for null rates, anomalies, or custom metrics.
Add new monitors or edit existing ones.
Switch between Table Monitoring and Custom Query monitors.
Search for a specific data asset to inspect its configured checks.

Sample page

The numbers in the screenshot identify key parts of the Monitoring Settings page,

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Monitored tables / custom queries	Tables tagged for monitoring / custom queries to validate complex conditions.
2	Search data assets	Find tables to add to monitoring.
3	Rules	Defined rules for the asset selected in the left pane.
4	Add new Monitor	Add new rule to the selected asset.

For more details, check out the articles in the Monitory and Observabiltiy category.

Integrations

The Integrations page is Foundational’s central hub to connect and manage your entire data and software ecosystem.

By offering direct connections to platforms like BigQuery, Snowflake, and Databricks, we streamline the process of integrating disparate tools, allowing Foundational.io to gain a comprehensive, end-to-end view of your data governance, metadata, and data quality across the organization.

The page includes connections to:

Warehouses
Source Control
ETL
BI & Analytics

Connection is simple. When you click Connect a context-specific pane opens where you enter the relevant credentials. Foundational then makes the connection.

Sample page

For more details, check out the articles in the Connections and Integrations category.

User Management

The User Management page is your central hub for configuring Foundational and ensuring data security. For more details about each feature, check out the article User Management.

Click each link in the left pane, to open each tab.

Profile

The Profile screen shows your personal account details, including email, name, username, phone number, and job title.

Use this screen to:

Review your account information.
Manage your personal profile settings in Foundational.

Privacy & Security

The Privacy & Security screen shows authentication and account protection settings for your profile.

Use this screen to:

Update your password, set passkeys and security preferences.
Enable or modify multi-factor authentication.
Review privacy controls and session history.

Users

The Users screen shows all members in your workspace, including their roles, status, and access levels.

Use this screen to:

Add or invite new users.
Edit roles and permissions for existing users.
Disable or delete users from the workspace.
Filter or search for specific users.

Security

The Security screen shows workspace-level authentication and authorization configurations.

Use this screen to:

Define authentication methods for your workspace.
Manage security rules to control access and minimize vulnerabilities.

#	Screen Element	Description
1	Vulnerability warnings	Click Manage to open up the options to mitigate the vulnerability.
2	Show more	Click to ensure you see all identified vulnerabilities.
3	Security check up - MFA	Shows the number of affected accounts. Click Manage to alter configurations.
4	Security check up - Sessions	Shows the number of affected sessions. Click Manage to alter configurations.
5	Security check up - Inactivity	Shows the number of affected users. Click Manage to alter configurations.
6	Security check up - Restrictions	Shows the number of affected IPs and domains. Click Manage to alter configurations.

SSO

Setting up SSO in Foundational is a key part of your setup and requires both Admin permissions in Foundational and your IdP.

Use this screen to:

Connect and configure SSO for your workspace.
Manage identity provider settings.
Enable centralized authentication for all users.

For more details, check out the article Set SSO SAML and OIDC.

Audit Logs

The Audit Logs screen shows a detailed record of user actions, login events, and account changes across your workspace.

Use this screen to:

Monitor user activity and access patterns.
Verify login events and performed actions.
Export logs for security review.

Audit Tokens

The API Tokens screen shows all existing tokens used for integrations or automation. Each token includes details such as description, role, type, expiry date, and creator.

Use this screen to: