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Ataccama adds data lineage to foster trust in AI, analytics
Given that the absence of trusted data hinders AI development, the vendor's new capabilities further its effort to provide users with the tools to ensure data can be trusted.
Ataccama on Wednesday added AI-powered data lineage capabilities to its data management suite, enabling users to improve the quality of their data as it moves between systems and is used to inform decisions.
Data quality has always been critical.
If the data used to inform analytics applications is poor, the decisions based on their outputs will be poor. However, with AI-powered analysis and process automation eliminating much of the time that data engineers and application developers previously had to check for data quality, tools that help ensure data quality are taking on greater importance.
Data lineage is the process of tracking and documenting data as it moves from its source through different systems. Given the visibility data lineage provides, it is a key means of helping organizations ensure high-quality data. When automated, data lineage helps engender trust in AI tools trained and updated on data that is too voluminous to be manually monitored by even teams of humans.
As a result, adding AI-powered data lineage capabilities to Ataccama One, the vendor's platform for data management, is significant for users, according to Matt Aslett, an analyst at ISG's Ventana Research.
"Data lineage is an important addition to the portfolio given the importance of establishing trust in data, especially through the use of AI to automate what have traditionally been complex and manual processes," he said.
Based in Toronto, Ataccama is a data management vendor whose Ataccama One platform provides data quality, observability, governance, and master data management capabilities. Now, the vendor is adding data lineage.
Value of lineage
With generative AI capable of making workers smarter and more efficient, enterprises have increased their investments in developing AI-powered applications since OpenAI's November 2022 launch of ChatGPT marked a significant improvement in generative AI capabilities.
Meanwhile, because that data provides AI with its intelligence, many data management vendors responded by developing tools that simplify application development and improve the quality of the applications enterprises build. At the core of that improvement is helping customers ensure the data they're using to inform AI-powered applications can be trusted.
Ataccama's recent 2025 data trust report found that only one-third of more than 300 respondents reported success in developing and deploying AI applications. Two-thirds cited a lack of trusted data as the primary culprit for their lack of success.
Vendors such as Qlik and Reltio are among those that are making trusted data a focal point. Adding data lineage capabilities furthers Atacama's effort to do the same.
"Lineage is a great tool when trying to troubleshoot data trust issues," said Stewart Bond, an analyst at IDC. "If there is something wrong with the data at the destination, lineage provides the breadcrumb trail back through the path the data took to help uncover where things went wrong."
Lineage is an especially important tool in the age of AI, he continued.
AI tools deliver value by generating inferences based on information. The faster and more trustworthy the inference, the more valuable the AI tool. With automated tools that track massive amounts of data in milliseconds, AI-powered lineage helps enterprises derive value from their AI applications.
"Lineage is critically important for AI-ready data," Bond said. "The biggest concerns organizations have with AI are exposure of sensitive information and assuring the accuracy and relevancy of the AI outcome. … Data lineage can provide quality assurances."
Aslett likewise noted that AI development is forcing enterprises to pay closer attention to data quality. Providing visibility into data lineage is, therefore, important for data management vendors such as Atacama.
"As enterprises seek to increase data-driven decision-making, establishing trust in data is paramount," Aslett said. "Additionally, elevated expectations and demands associated with AI are a forcing function for enterprises to … ensure that data that is clean, well-organized and compliant with regulatory standards."
New capabilities
Using AI, Ataccama Lineage tracks data flows and transformations, providing users with maps as data moves across systems so issues such as missing or duplicate records can be traced to their source. In addition, the feature tracks sensitive data, including personally identifiable information and provides audit-ready documentation to help ensure regulatory compliance.
Ataccama previously provided data lineage capabilities through an agreement with Manta. Manta, however, was acquired by IBM in 2023. Ataccama Lineage represents the vendor developing its own data lineage capabilities in a move that was driven by customer demand over the past 18 months, according to Jessie Smith, the vendor's vice president of data quality.
"Our customers, particularly those operating in complex data environments, increasingly view robust data lineage capabilities as essential within a modern data management platform," she said.
Customer demand didn't suddenly increase in a vacuum, Smith continued. Trends such as the increasingly complexity of data ecosystems, heightened regulatory scrutiny and the growing importance of data-driven decision-making played roles.
"Organizations need a clear, auditable trail of their data to ensure trust, accuracy, and compliance," Smith said.
Specific benefits of Ataccama Lineage include the following, according to the vendor:
- Faster resolution of data quality problems fueled by AI-powered anomaly detection.
- Simplified compliance through automated data classification and documentation capabilities.
- Improved visibility into data flows with lineage maps.
- Cloud migration assistance by mapping redundant pipelines and datasets.
While each of the benefits is meaningful for Ataccama users, none represent market-altering innovation, according to Bond. Like Ataccama, Boomi and Collibra are among the data management vendors providing lineage capabilities as part of their offerings.
"As for the capabilities, I don't see any that stand out as differentiators for Ataccama," Bond said.
Aslett, meanwhile, noted that the two main benefits of data lineage are engendering trust and improving regulatory compliance. Ataccama Lineage assists both. However, whether an organization chooses Ataccama or another vendor will depend on which data management vendor's platform best fits the needs of the potential customer.
"Most enterprises will be focused heavily on [trust and compliance] when evaluating data lineage products, although the weighting applied to each will be dependent on the nature of the business, and the primary business rationale," Aslett said.
Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management.
