The task
Scenario. An analyst has pulled distribution center numbers from `dc_metrics_v1` for months. This week the totals don't reconcile against finance's report, and nobody can say whether the table itself is wrong, stale, or just an old copy that was never cleaned up. Guessing at a second table name gets you a second wrong answer just as easily as a right one.
The ask
- Every candidate source for the concept, found by what it contains rather than by a guessed name
- Certification, owner, and freshness for each candidate
- A source you can defend, or an honest flag that nothing here is certified either
Hero prompt
I've been told `dc_metrics_v1` is wrong. Find the actual certified source for distribution center data, show me who owns it and when it was last updated, and confirm it isn't itself just a copy of the bad one.
Step by step
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Search by concept, scoped to tables.
Find tables (not glossary entries) about <the concept — e.g. distribution center data>, so I see every candidate source, not just the one I suspect is wrong.
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Pull certification, owner, and freshness per candidate.
For each candidate, show its certification status, owner, and last-updated date.
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Compare against the table you were told is wrong.
Compare the candidates against <dc_metrics_v1> and tell me which is current and actually governed, not just newer-sounding.
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Trace upstream to rule out a copy.
Trace the upstream lineage of the strongest candidate to confirm it isn't just a downstream copy of <dc_metrics_v1>.
What you'll give it
Required context
- The concept or domain you need data for
- The table you were originally pointed to and now suspect is wrong
Optional context
- A certification or freshness threshold, if "current" needs a specific cutoff
- The report or number that isn't reconciling, for context on what "right" should look like
What Atlan creates
Outputs
- A ranked list of candidate source tables with certification, ownership, and lineage evidence attached
- A clear recommendation, or a clear "nothing here is certified either" flag if that's the honest answer
Summary. You get a source you can actually point to and defend, backed by who owns it and when it was last touched, instead of a second guess.
Read-only. Nothing is updated in Atlan; if the original table should be flagged for cleanup once the replacement is confirmed, that's a separate deprecation step.
Follow-up prompts
Keep going once the first answer lands.
Check every suspect table
Run this same check across every table my team was told is 'the source' before we start the migration.
Close the loop
Flag the deprecated table for cleanup now that its replacement is confirmed.
Recheck on a cadence
Re-check this quarterly.
Tips & troubleshooting
"Newer" and "certified" aren't the same thing. Don't stop at the first candidate that looks more recently updated; check who actually owns it. And the real source often hides behind a misleading name, ask for tables about the concept, not a table matching a name, so a well-described table with an odd name still surfaces.
- Match the client to the work.** Use a client that shows the full candidate list rather than auto-picking one; you want to see the runner-up sources, not just the top result.
- Automate or chain it.** Batch this across a whole list of suspect tables ahead of a migration, instead of running it one table at a time as each one breaks.
- Recheck before you commit.** Certification status changes. Re-run this right before you switch a pipeline over, not just when you first investigated.