Introduction

Foundational tracks usage metrics and cost data from your connected platforms. You can see which assets are actively used, identify unused or under-used tables and dashboards driving up costs, and spot expensive queries worth optimizing. Historical charts show trends over time so you can compare usage trends.

How it works

Foundational gathers usage and cost data through configured warehouses, BIs, and other systems.

Usage and trend tracking: For each asset, Foundational tracks query frequency, access patterns, and user activity over time. Historical data shows trends, baselines, and anomalies—helping you identify unused assets and unexpected loads.

Cost attribution: Foundational attributes costs to specific assets based on query execution data and cost data from warehouses and BI systems. Costs appear at the asset level, letting you identify expensive assets.

Warehouse views have no direct compute cost associated with them because they are computed only when another asset reads from them.

Track asset usage & cost use cases

Use the Data Catalog Usage and Cost panels to perform these actions. To see the steps, go to Actions.

Track asset usage & costs UI

View the charts and metrics from the Data Catalog or from the Inspector panel on the Lineage page.

Data Catalog Usage panel

① Selected asset

② Usage selected

③ Content panel showing usage metrics, table access and row count charts over time

④ Search assets bar

⑤ Inspector panel showing asset-related information and link to the lineage graph

Data Catalog Costs panel

① Selected asset

② Costs selected

③ Content panel showing cost metrics, charts of computed costs and daily storage costs over time

④ Search assets bar

⑤ Inspector panel showing asset-related information and link to the lineage graph.

Actions

Understand data context

View asset details in the Inspector panel

The Inspector panel displays information from the Data Catalog, allowing you to review documentation, costs, usage, and quality issues in context.

On the Lineage page or Impact Analysis page, hover over any asset in the graph.
An Info icon appears on the asset. Click it. The Inspector panel opens on the right side with tabs:
- General: Overview, metadata, and asset documentation.
- Costs: Cost metrics
- Usage: Usage patterns

Track asset usage

1. Select an asset and open its details:

In the Data Catalog: Select the asset from the list
From other pages: Hover over an asset on the graph canvas and click the Info icon

2. Click Usage to see row counts and usage over time.

3. Click Show Historical Charts to see cost metrics over time.

You can view from the Data Catalog or from another page via the Inspector panel.

Track asset storage

You can view from the Data Catalog or from another page via the Inspector panel.

Select an asset and open its details:
- In the Data Catalog: Select the asset from the list
- From other pages: Hover over an asset in the graph and click the Info icon
Click Costs to see row counts and usage over time.
Click Show Historical Charts to see cost metrics over time.

Identify frequently accessed vs unused assets

Use the usage metrics in the Inspector panel to understand how frequently the asset is queried and by whom.

Select an asset and open its details:
- In the Data Catalog: Select the asset from the list.
- From other pages: Hover over an asset on the graph canvas and click the Info icon.
Click the Usage tab.
Review usage metrics:
- Usage Data: Total rows, Total Storage, Last Query
- Monthly Usage: Reads vs. Writes
- Table Access Events Over Time: Chart showing access frequency
- Row Count Over Time: Chart showing table size changes