In a data lineage diagram, a generation is a set of resources that are the same upstream or downstream distance from the resource that contains the source object. You can configure the number of generations that appear when you run data lineage analysis or navigate a data lineage diagram.
Each resource is a separate generation, and each generation can contain multiple resources, depending on the number of resources directly linked to the source generation. The resource that contains the source object is the source generation from which Metadata Manager displays upstream and downstream generations.
Metadata Manager displays one generation of resources both upstream and downstream from the data lineage analysis source object. Decrease the number of generations to increase Metadata Manager performance when you run data lineage analysis and navigate a data lineage diagram.
The following figure shows three generations for a data lineage diagram where the source and target databases are in different generations:
If the number of upstream or downstream generations are greater than the number you configure to appear, Metadata Manager includes arrow buttons in the data lineage diagram. Use the arrow buttons to navigate through upstream and downstream generations in the diagram.
Configure the number of generations in the Metadata Manager imm.properties configuration file. For more information about the imm.properties file, see the