MANTA 3.25: Microsoft Excel, IBM Cognos & PowerDesigner
It has been a long time since we swore our 3-new-supported-technologies-every-release oath, and we have kept it every new software release since. And this version of MANTA is no different. In Release 3.25, we bring you support for Microsoft Excel (yes, Excel!), IBM Cognos, and SAP (Sybase) PowerDesigner. Read more in our regular blog post.
No time to read? Watch a video or dip into the details below:
Data Lineage for Excel? From Excel? With Excel? YES
No, this is not a drill. We have just released support for Microsoft Office’s Excel. The reason for this, which may seem like a weird flex to some, is that many of our customers still have disturbing amounts of data in Excel databases, which was more challenging for our customers to include in their data lineage.
MANTA now tracks data lineage in Excel, being able to read multiple sheets, pivot tables, slides, and graphs. We also have a detection algorithm with which MANTA can automatically reveal aggregated lists and tables that have formula relations among each other. MANTA is able to track data lineage from database tables and CSV files through tables and graphs among multiple Excel workbooks and push the whole picture into MANTA’s native visualization, as well as into third-party solutions.
Reporting Tools Are Our Friends…
The next connector that MANTA added to its technology portfolio is Cognos, a reporting tool from IBM. MANTA is able to create complete end-to-end data lineage from the database data sources, analytical models, and reports in Cognos Analytics by scanning:
• Reports (including queries)
• Interactive reports
• Framework Manager models
• Database connections
MANTA then pushes them into its own data visualization as well as into third-party solutions.
Modeling Tools Too!
The third connector we have added is the modeling tool SAP (Sybase) PowerDesigner, our second after adding ER/Studio in Release 3.24. MANTA can scan PowerDesigner and automatically pull physical, logical, and conceptual models that can then be added to your data lineage to create end-to-end logical data lineage.
Behind the Scenes
Besides broadening MANTA’s Tech Hub, we have also made some improvements to existing supported technologies. The most work was probably done on SSAS, where we have added support to the newer version (level 1200) of the tabular models.
We also detect a connection between SSAS and SSRS from our Microsoft family, and these technologies are currently sharp crisp alfa versions. MANTA is also able to export more and more technologies into third-party solutions, including transformation logic.
And, as of MANTA 3.25, ETL Tools (SSIS, ODI, Talend) and reporting tools (SSAS, SSRS) from our tech hub are now exported into IBM IGC, Informatica EDC. and other third-party solutions.