Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) topic addresses common questions about Alation’s Curation Automation.

Can I change AI confidence requirements?

No. Low-confidence (AI suggestions with a confidence score of less than 75%) results are not applied; confidence thresholds aren’t user-configurable.

What happens if I run out of AI actions or ACU balance?

If you don’t have enough AI Actions and Consumption Units to execute a curation rule, Alation prevents you from executing the rule by displaying a message (Insufficient AI Actions for AI actions tenants and Insufficient ACU Balance for ACU tenants) with the amount required versus your available balance. You can still create, edit, save, and preview curation rules; however, you cannot execute rules that require AI-generated curation until you replenish your balance. To replenish your balance, contact your Alation Account Manager. Rules that use only manual curation methods are not affected, and you can still execute those rules. For details on the ACU model, see Alation Consumption Unit (ACU) Usage.

Will new assets added later be curated automatically?

No. If new assets match the rule’s scope and filters, the rule logic applies when the rule is re-run manually. Alation doesn’t support automatic triggers to run the rule when a new object is added to the scope.

Can I limit a rule to objects with certain metadata?

Yes. When you define the scope, add scope filters to narrow the selected objects by custom field values. You can filter on picker and multi-select picker custom fields (for example, Sensitivity Level or Compliance Tag) and combine up to two filters per source with AND or OR logic. Only the objects that match the filters are included in the rule’s scope. For details, see Define Your Scope.

Who can create and run curation rules?

By default, only Server Admins and Catalog Admins can use Curation Automation. A Server Admin or Catalog Admin can grant access to Source Admins, Stewards, and Composers, who can then create and run their own rules. Explorers and Viewers cannot be granted access. Delegated users can manage only the rules they create, while Server Admins and Catalog Admins can manage any rule. For details, see Configure Access to Curation Automation.

Why were some objects or fields skipped when I ran a rule?

Curation Automation honors your existing Alation permissions. If you do not have permission to edit a field (because of custom field permissions) or an object (because of object-level access), Curation Automation skips it, writes no value, and consumes no curation action. Skipped objects appear in the run report with a reason indicating you lacked permission to edit them. For details, see Configure Permissions for Curation Automation.

Can I scope a rule by object name or naming convention?

Yes. Switch the data source to Pattern mode and define conditions that match objects by name at the schema, table, and column level. You can use the Starts with, Ends with, Contains, Exactly matches, and Matches regex operators, with one include condition and one optional exclude condition per level. Conditions match on the object name only. Pattern mode is available for data source assets only; file system sources support Search mode. For details, see Pattern Mode.

Can I stop a running rule?

No. You cannot stop a running rule.

How do I know what changed?

• Review Last Run Report in Curation Automation for aggregate impact

• Select Download Full Report (CSV) to compare what changed

• On catalog pages, check for the sparkle icon on field values that Curation Automation applied using an AI agent

• Open the field’s version history to see the rule name, whether AI generated the value, and who ran the rule

For details, see Review Rule Attribution

How do I identify which fields were set by a curation rule versus a user?

• Values applied by a Curation Automation rule using AI display a sparkle icon on the catalog page. Hover over the icon to see the feature name, rule name, and confirmation that AI generated the value.

• Values applied by a manual, non-AI rule display an M badge alongside the rule name in the field’s version history.

• User-edited values display a user avatar and a standard edit entry in the field’s version history.

Will existing values be overwritten by the new value when the rule runs?

You can choose to replace the existing value or only populate empty fields when you set up your rule. If you choose to only populate empty fields, Alation does not overwrite existing values. If you choose to replace existing values, Alation overwrites the old value when the new value is applied. You can also choose to append to the existing value for certain fields. For AI-generated values, Alation still applies the 75% confidence threshold. Manual curation methods do not use AI confidence scores. For details, see Select Fields.

Why is my estimated actions count lower than I expected?

The estimate reflects only the objects and fields you can edit. Fields you cannot edit, objects you cannot access, and objects that are not browsable in the catalog are excluded and reported as skipped. If an admin has enabled Limit to assigned objects for you, objects you do not steward, and objects with no steward assigned, are also excluded. For details, see Configure Permissions for Curation Automation.

Why are some fields missing from the field dropdown?

A field that is editable only by a specific user group does not appear in the field picker if you are not in an allowed group. A field that is editable only by a people set (such as the object’s Steward or Expert) does appear, but when the rule runs, Alation skips the objects where you are not in the allowed people set. For details, see Configure Permissions for Curation Automation.

What does "Limit to assigned objects" mean for me?

When an admin enables Limit to assigned objects for you, your rule runs apply only to objects where you, or one of your groups, are an assigned steward. Objects you do not steward, and objects with no steward assigned, are skipped. The scope picker still shows all objects, so you can select a parent schema or table to narrow your scope even if you steward only its child objects. This setting does not apply to Server Admins or Catalog Admins. For details, see Configure Access to Curation Automation.

What happens to my schedules if my access is revoked?

When an admin revokes your access, any active schedules on your rules are disabled. The schedule configuration is preserved but does not run. Your rules are not deleted and remain manageable by admins. Re-granting access does not automatically re-enable the schedules. For details, see Configure Access to Curation Automation.