> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getcollate.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ingest Lineage from dbt

> Ingest dbt lineage to build upstream and downstream traceability for models, columns, and data products.

# Ingest Lineage from dbt

Collate reads lineage information from your dbt `manifest.json` file and uses it to build upstream and downstream traceability for your data models.

Collate extracts lineage from two sources in the manifest file: the `depends_on` key (node-level relationships) and the `compiled_code` or `compiled_sql` key (query-level relationships).

<Note>
  **Note**: To capture lineage, the `compiled_code` field must be present in your `manifest.json`.

  * If `compiled_code` is missing, Collate will not capture lineage for that node.
  * To make sure `compiled_code` is populated, run one of the following commands in your dbt project before ingestion:
    * `dbt compile`
    * `dbt docs generate`
</Note>

## How Collate Builds dbt Lineage

Collate uses two approaches to build lineage — node dependencies and query parsing.

### Step 1: Lineage from `depends_on`

Collate reads node-level lineage from the `depends_on.nodes` field in `manifest.json`.

Here's an example — the `customers` model depends on three staging models:

```json theme={null}
"model.jaffle_shop.customers": {
  "compiled": true,
  "resource_type": "model",
  "depends_on": {
    "macros": [],
    "nodes": [
      "model.jaffle_shop.stg_customers",
      "model.jaffle_shop.stg_orders",
      "model.jaffle_shop.stg_payments"
    ]
  }
}
```

Collate builds the lineage graph from these dependencies:

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/collatedocs/X_lfH8k8w6u5uqTN/public/images/features/ingestion/workflows/dbt/dbt-lineage-customers.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=X_lfH8k8w6u5uqTN&q=85&s=f12ac445f5a8fca2d4bc1eb7b12febc5" alt="dbt lineage graph for customers model" width="1222" height="712" data-path="public/images/features/ingestion/workflows/dbt/dbt-lineage-customers.webp" />

### Step 2: Lineage from dbt Queries

Collate also parses the compiled SQL query for each model to extract finer-grained source and target relationships.

The query sits under `node_name → compiled_code` (or `compiled_sql` in older dbt versions):

```json theme={null}
"model.jaffle_shop.customers": {
  "compiled": true,
  "resource_type": "model",
  "compiled_code": "Query for the model"
}
```

Collate runs this query through its lineage parser to identify the source and target tables and add them to the lineage graph.

<Note>
  **Note**: If the lineage parser can't interpret the query, lineage for that node won't be created. Check the ingestion logs for parsing errors.
</Note>