Data Lineage Viz
Preview — This extension is functional but under active development. Expect rough edges.
Visualize object-level dependencies in SQL Server Database Projects (.dacpac). See how tables, views, stored procedures, and functions connect through an interactive graph.
Quick Start
- Open a workspace with a
.dacpac file
- Run Data Lineage: Open (
Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Select schemas and click Visualize
No .dacpac file? Click Load Demo in the wizard to explore the AdventureWorks sample database.
Features
Visualization
- Search and navigate objects with autocomplete
- Trace upstream and downstream dependencies
- Filter by schema, object type, or regex patterns
- Schema-based color coding
- Switchable left-right / top-bottom layout
SQL Preview
- Click any node to view its DDL in a read-only SQL viewer
- Full syntax highlighting, Ctrl+F search, bracket matching
- Drag the SQL tab to a second monitor for side-by-side workflow
Customization
Limitations
- Object-level only — no column-level lineage
- Static analysis — dynamic SQL (
EXEC(@sql)) not detected
How It Works
- Extract — Reads
model.xml from the .dacpac archive
- Parse — Extracts
BodyDependencies + configurable regex patterns
- Graph — Builds a directed graph with dagre layout
- Render — Interactive visualization with React Flow
Configuration
Search dataLineageViz in Settings:
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
parseRulesFile |
"" |
Path to custom YAML parsing rules |
excludePatterns |
[] |
Regex patterns to exclude objects |
maxNodes |
250 |
Maximum nodes to display (10-1000) |
layout.direction |
"LR" |
Layout direction: LR or TB |
layout.rankSeparation |
120 |
Spacing between ranks/layers (20-300) |
layout.nodeSeparation |
30 |
Spacing between nodes in same rank (10-200) |
layout.edgeAnimation |
true |
Animate edges during trace mode |
layout.highlightAnimation |
false |
Animate edges on node click (non-trace) |
trace.defaultUpstreamLevels |
3 |
Default upstream trace depth (0-99) |
trace.defaultDownstreamLevels |
3 |
Default downstream trace depth (0-99) |
edgeStyle |
"default" |
Edge style: default, smoothstep, step, straight |
logLevel |
"info" |
Log verbosity: info or debug |
Commands
| Command |
Description |
| Data Lineage: Open |
Open the visualization panel |
| Data Lineage: Create Parse Rules |
Scaffold custom parsing configuration |
FAQ
Where do I get a .dacpac file?
A .dacpac (Data-tier Application Package) can be extracted or built from various tools including Visual Studio, VS Code, SSMS, Azure Data Studio, or the Fabric portal. See Microsoft's documentation for details.
Why are some dependencies missing?
Dynamic SQL (EXEC(@sql), sp_executesql) cannot be analyzed statically. Only compile-time dependencies are detected.
Contributing
Bug reports are welcome. Feature requests are not being accepted — this project is maintained for personal use. You're welcome to fork and extend it under the MIT license. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
MIT License · Christian Wagner · GitHub · Developed with Claude Code
