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Lineage Diff

The Lineage view shows how your data model changes impact your data pipeline. It visualizes the potential area of impact from your modifications, helping you determine which models need further investigation.

How It Works

Recce compares your base and current branch artifacts to identify:

  • Dependencies - Which models depend on others
  • Change Impact - How modifications ripple through your pipeline
  • Data Flow - The path data takes from sources to final outputs

Recce Lineage Diff

Interactive lineage graph showing modified models

Visual Status Indicators

Models are color-coded to indicate their status:

Color Status
Green Added (new to your project)
Red Removed (deleted from your project)
Orange Modified (changed code or configuration)
Gray Unchanged (shown for context)

Node example

Model node with status indicators

Change Detection Icons

Each model displays icons in the bottom-right corner:

  • Row Count Icon - Shows when row count differences are detected
  • Schema Icon - Shows when column or data type changes are detected

Grayed-out icons indicate no changes were detected.

Model with Schema Change detected

Model with schema change detected

Filtering and Selection

Filter Options

In the top control bar:

Filter Description
Mode Changed Models (modified + downstream) or All
Package Filter by dbt package names
Select Select nodes by node selection
Exclude Exclude nodes by node selection

Selecting Models

Click a node to select it, or use Select nodes to select multiple models for batch operations.

Row Count Diff by Selector

Run row count diff on selected nodes:

  1. Use select and exclude to filter nodes
  2. Click the ... button in the top-right corner
  3. Click Row Count Diff by Selector

Investigating Changes

Node Details Panel

Click any model to open the node details panel:

Open node details panel

Open the node details panel

From this panel you can:

  • View model metadata (type, materialization)
  • Examine schema changes
  • Run validation checks
  • Add findings to your checklist

Available Validations

Click Explore Change to access:

Explore the model

Node details with exploration options

Schema Diff

Schema diff identifies structural changes to your models:

  • Added columns - New fields (shown in green)
  • Removed columns - Deleted fields (shown in red)
  • Renamed columns - Changed names (shown with arrows)
  • Data type changes - Modified column types

Recce Schema Diff

Interactive schema diff showing column changes

Requirements

Schema diff requires catalog.json in both environments. Run dbt docs generate in both before starting your Recce session.

When to Use

  • Starting your review - Get an overview of all changes and their downstream impact
  • Identifying affected models - Find models that need validation
  • Understanding dependencies - See how changes propagate through your pipeline
  • Scoping your validation - Determine which models to diff