Data Product Versioning and Marketplace Listing¶

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

Every data product has one or more versions: snapshots of its configuration and content at a specific point in time. Versions move through defined states as the product is developed, listed, updated, and maintained. The primary event that advances a version and creates new ones is the Marketplace listing workflow.

Listing is a governed process:

A Data Product Admin prepares the product and submits a listing request.
Designated Marketplace Admins review and approve or deny it before the product is published for data consumers.

In this topic:

Key Roles
How Versions Work
Version States
Version Lifecycle
Rules and Constraints
Data Contracts and Versions
Before You List: Marketplace Standards
Submit a Listing Request
After Submission: Pending Listing State
Cancel a Listing Request
Create an Active Draft from a Listed Version
Update a Listed Version
Marketplace Review (Marketplace Admin)
Approval Logic
Status Reference
Available Actions by Version State

Key Roles¶

Two roles drive versioning and listing workflows.

Role	Who holds it	Responsibilities
Data Product Admin	The creator of a data product or any user explicitly granted the Data Product Admin role on it. Qualifying Alation roles: Server Admin, Catalog Admin, Source Admin, Steward, Composer.	Create, edit, and configure data products; submit listing and update requests; cancel requests; create new active drafts from listed versions.
Marketplace Admin	A user assigned the Marketplace Admin role for a specific Marketplace, or any Server Admin.	Approve or deny listing and update requests; configure Marketplace standards and settings; unlist data products; manage Marketplace permissions.

Note

The same user can be both a Data Product Admin and a Marketplace Admin, but best practice is to keep these roles separate to maintain a meaningful governance checkpoint between data producers and consumers.

How Versions Work¶

When you finish creating a data product, version 1.0.0 is created automatically in the Active Draft (Unlisted) state. This version is fully editable and not visible in the Marketplace.

Where to find version information in the data product settings:

Overview tab: Marketplace status card shows the current version number and its listing state.
Content tab: A version picker (top-right dropdown) lists all versions of the data product with their states. Switch between versions to compare configurations.
All other tabs: the version number appears in the top-right corner where applicable.

As you list your version on the Marketplace, the version’s state changes.

Version States¶

Each version has exactly one state at any given time. The state determines what you can do with the version and whether it is visible in the Marketplace.

Version States¶
State	What It Means	Editable?	Visible in Marketplace?
Active Draft (Unlisted)	The version is being configured. Not yet submitted for listing.	Yes	No
Pending Listing	A listing request has been submitted and is awaiting Marketplace Admin review.	No (read-only)	No
Listed	The required number of approvals has been reached. The product is published and visible to Marketplace consumers.	No (read-only)	Yes
Pending Update	An update request has been submitted for a new draft version to replace the currently listed version.	No (read-only)	No, as the previous listed version remains visible.
Listing Denied	The request was denied. The Data Product Admin can address feedback and resubmit.	Depends. See What Happens When a Request Is Denied.	No
Archived	A previously listed version superseded by a newer listing, or a version that was cancelled or denied while another active draft existed. Kept as a historical record. Cannot be re-listed.	No	No

Note

Once a version enters Pending Listing, it becomes read-only. You cannot edit any settings on that version. To make changes, cancel the listing request (returning the version to Active Draft) or create a new active draft from a Listed version.

Version Lifecycle¶

The diagram below shows all states a single version can move through and the transitions between them.

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stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR

    state "Active Draft (Unlisted)" as AD
    state "Pending Listing" as PL
    state "Listed" as L
    state "Listing Denied" as LD
    state "Archived" as AR

    classDef blue   fill:#DBEAFE,stroke:#3B82F6,color:#1D4ED8
    classDef amber  fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#D97706,color:#92400E
    classDef green  fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#10B981,color:#065F46
    classDef red    fill:#FEE2E2,stroke:#DC2626,color:#991B1B
    classDef gray   fill:#F3F4F6,stroke:#9CA3AF,color:#374151

    class AD blue
    class PL amber
    class L green
    class LD red
    class AR gray

    [*] --> AD : Data product created

    AD --> PL : List in Marketplace
    AD --> PL : Update listed version
    PL --> L  : Marketplace Admin approves
    PL --> LD : Marketplace Admin denies
    PL --> AD : Cancel request (no other active draft)
    PL --> AR : Cancel request (another draft exists)
    LD --> AD : Fix issues and resubmit (no other draft)
    LD --> AR : (another draft exists)
    L  --> AD : Create active draft (new version)
    L  --> AR : New version listed after update approval

Note

This diagram shows the lifecycle of a single version. Creating an active draft from a Listed version starts a brand-new version. The listed version itself does not change state. See Update a Listed Version for the full update workflow.

Rules and Constraints¶

Only one active draft at a time: You cannot have two active draft versions simultaneously. If you cancel a listing request and another active draft already exists, the cancelled version is archived (not returned to Active Draft).
Only one listed version at a time: You cannot list more than one version of a data product. To list a new version, cancel or replace the existing listing.
Archived versions cannot be re-listed: Once a version is archived, it serves as a historical record only.
Version numbers increment as minor releases: Creating a new active draft bumps the minor version: 1.0.0 > 1.1.0 > 1.2.0, and so on.
Pending versions are read-only: Any version in Pending Listing or Pending Update state cannot be edited. All tabs where editing was possible display a banner indicating the version cannot be edited.

Data Contracts and Versions¶

Each data product version can have one data contract. A data contract is a formal quality agreement that specifies what structural and quality checks Alation runs against the data assets in the product: schema drift, timeliness SLAs, and data quality rules.

When you create a new active draft from a listed version, the data contract from the previous version is copied as disabled. Go to the Data Contract tab, enable it, then review and edit the contract as needed for the new version.

Important

Data contract settings are per version. Enabling and configuring a data contract on your new active draft does not affect the data contract on the currently listed version.

Marketplace Listing¶

Listing a data product makes it discoverable and accessible to data consumers in the Marketplace. Listing is a governed workflow: you submit a request, and designated Marketplace Admins review it before the product is published.

The listing workflow ensures:

Data products meet Marketplace quality standards before consumers see them.
A governance checkpoint exists between data producers and consumers.
Decisions and comments are logged for transparency and auditability.

Before You List: Marketplace Standards¶

Before you submit a listing request, your data product must pass validation against the Marketplace standards configured by your Marketplace Admin. These are mandatory quality criteria, for example, that the product has a description, contact information, or a minimum number of record sets.

When you click List in Marketplace, the system validates your product against these standards. If validation fails, Alation tells you which standards are not met. Fix those issues and click List in Marketplace again to retry. Only after validation passes is the listing request submitted.

Note

Use the Suggested Improvements feature on the data product’s Overview tab before listing. It provides AI-driven recommendations to help your product meet Marketplace standards and improve quality for consumers.

Submit a Listing Request¶

Complete all data product configuration before submitting. This includes datasets, joins, metrics, contact information, descriptions, delivery systems, and data contract setup.

In the left-side navigation, click the Data Products App icon and expand the panel.
Click My Data Products to open the data products list.
Locate your data product. Click the three-dot menu in its row and select Manage Data Product. The data product settings page opens on the Overview tab.
Review the Marketplace status card. If the product has never been listed, the status shows Active Draft (Unlisted).
In the top-right corner of the page, click List in Marketplace.
The system validates the product against Marketplace standards. If it passes, the listing request is submitted. If it fails, address the flagged issues and click List in Marketplace again.

The diagram below shows the full listing request workflow from submission through Marketplace Admin review.

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flowchart TD
    subgraph DPA["Data Product Admin"]
        A["Click List in Marketplace on data product settings page"]
        C["Fix flagged issues and retry"]
    end

    subgraph SYS["System"]
        D{"Validate against Marketplace standards"}
        E["Request submitted: Pending Listing email sent to approvers"]
    end

    subgraph DPMA_lane["Marketplace Admin"]
        F["Open Pending Approvals tab"]
        G["Click Review and evaluate the product"]
        H{"Approve or Deny?"}
    end

    Listed(["Version becomes Listed"])
    Denied(["Listing Denied: Data Product Admin is notified by email"])

    A --> D
    D -->|Fails| C
    C --> A
    D -->|Passes| E
    E --> F
    F --> G
    G --> H
    H -->|Approve| Listed
    H -->|Deny| Denied

    classDef endpoint fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#10B981,color:#065F46
    classDef denied   fill:#FEE2E2,stroke:#DC2626,color:#991B1B
    class Listed endpoint
    class Denied denied

After Submission: Pending Listing State¶

Once your listing request is submitted, the version’s state changes to Pending Listing. This is shown in the Marketplace status card on the Overview tab and in the version picker on the Content tab.

At this stage:

The version is read-only.
List in Marketplace is replaced by Cancel Listing Request in the three-dot menu at the top right.
You can still create an active draft from the Marketplace status card if you want to continue development while waiting for approval.
All designated Marketplace Admin approvers receive an email notification.

Cancel a Listing Request¶

You can cancel a listing request any time while the version is in Pending Listing state.

Open the data product settings page.
Click the three-dot menu at the top right of the page.
Select Cancel Listing Request.
In the dialog that opens, provide a reason for cancelling, then click Cancel Request:
- If this is the only existing version: the version returns to Active Draft (Unlisted) and becomes editable again.
- If another active draft already exists: the cancelled version is Archived. The existing active draft remains your working version.

Note

You can only cancel a listing request while the version is in Pending Listing state. Once a version is Listed, use Update a Listed Version to make changes.

Create an Active Draft from a Listed Version¶

Once a version is Listed, it is read-only. To continue developing the data product, create a new active draft: a copy of the listed version with the version number bumped.

For example: if version 1.0.0 is Listed, clicking Create active draft creates version 1.1.0 as an editable Active Draft (Unlisted), while 1.0.0 remains Listed and visible in the Marketplace.

On the data product settings page, go to the Overview tab.
In the Marketplace status card, click Create active draft.
- Alternatively, click Create active draft in the read-only banner on the Content tab.
A new active draft is created with the next minor version number and is fully editable.

Note

Failed to create active draft error: This usually means the data product’s YAML specification contains errors. Check the YAML specification, fix any errors, and try again.

When the new active draft is created, the data contract from the previous version is copied but disabled. Go to the Data Contract tab, enable the contract, and review or update its configuration for the new version before listing.

Update a Listed Version¶

When you have an Active Draft and the previous version is Listed, you can submit the draft as an update to replace the listed version. This also goes through a governed approval workflow.

Finish editing your active draft.
In the top-right corner of the settings page, click Update listed version.

Note

This button appears only when an active draft exists alongside a listed version.
In the dialog that opens, add optional notes for the Marketplace Admins describing what changed.
Click Request update approval.

After submitting the update request:

Your active draft’s state changes to Pending Update and becomes read-only.
The previously listed version remains listed and visible to consumers until the update is approved.
Marketplace Admins see the product with an Update Pending status in Manage Marketplace.
A Pending listing update indicator appears at the top of the settings page.

Note

You cannot submit an update while a listing request is already pending. If you have a version in Pending Listing and an active draft, cancel the pending listing request first before clicking Update listed version.

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flowchart LR
    L1["Listed version 1.0.0 remains visible to consumers throughout the process"]:::green
    AD["Active Draft 1.1.0 editable"]:::blue
    PU["Pending Update 1.1.0 read-only"]:::amber
    DR["Marketplace Admin reviews in Manage Marketplace"]:::gray
    L2["1.1.0 → Listed, 1.0.0 → Archived"]:::green
    LD2["1.1.0 → Denied, Data Product Admin notified by email"]:::red

    L1 -.-|Stays visible until approved| PU
    AD -->|"Click Update listed version"| PU
    PU -->|Marketplace Admin notified| DR
    DR -->|Approve| L2
    DR -->|Deny| LD2

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What happens after update approval:

The new active draft version becomes Listed and replaces the old version in the Marketplace.
The previously listed version is Archived. It remains visible in the version picker as a historical record but is no longer in the Marketplace.

What Happens When a Request Is Denied¶

When Marketplace Admins deny a listing or update request, the outcome depends on whether another active draft exists at the time of denial:

No other active draft exists: the denied version reverts to Active Draft (Unlisted) and becomes editable again. The Data Product Admin receives an email notification with the Marketplace Admin’s feedback.
Another active draft already exists: the denied version is Archived. The existing active draft remains the working version. The Data Product Admin receives an email notification.

In either case, review the denial feedback in the listing logs, address the issues, and submit a new listing request.

Marketplace Review (Marketplace Admin)¶

Marketplace Admins receive email notifications when Data Product Admins submit listing or update requests. Review all pending requests from the Manage Marketplace page.

To access Manage Marketplace:

In the left-side navigation, click the Data Products App icon and expand the panel.
Click Manage Marketplace. The Marketplace settings page opens on the Overview tab.

Review a Listing Request¶

On the Manage Marketplace page, click the Data Products tab.
Select the Pending Approvals sub-tab. Data products with a listing request awaiting a decision appear here with the status Listing Pending.
In the Actions column, click Review for the product you want to evaluate. The reviewer view of the data product opens.
Review the product thoroughly: all fields, configurations, datasets, and settings.
In the banner at the top of the page, click Approve Listing or Deny.
Provide notes explaining your decision. Notes are required in both cases and are logged for transparency.
Confirm by clicking Approve Listing or Deny in the dialog.

Review an Update Request¶

When a Data Product Admin submits an update to a listed version, the product appears in the Pending Approvals tab with the status Update Pending.

On the Manage Marketplace page, click the Data Products tab.
Select the Pending Approvals sub-tab. Products with pending update requests show the status Update Pending.
Click Review in the Actions column.
Review the proposed changes.
In the banner, click Approve update or Deny.
Add approval notes, then confirm your decision.

Approval Logic¶

The number of approvals or denials required to reach a decision is configurable per Marketplace. By default, one approval from any designated Marketplace Admin is sufficient.

If the required number of approvals is reached: the data product becomes Listed and is immediately visible in the Marketplace.
If the required number of denials is reached: the request is closed and the version moves to Listing Denied. The request appears under the Closed Requests tab in Manage Marketplace.

To view the full decision log: who approved or denied, feedback provided, and the final outcome — click Show Logs in the Actions column for any product in Pending Approvals or Closed Requests.

Status Reference¶

Version Status Reference¶
Status	What It Means	What Happens in the System	What You Can Do Next
Active Draft (Unlisted)	The version is being developed and is not yet listed.	The version is accessible only to users explicitly granted access. Not visible to Marketplace consumers.	Configure all settings, then click List in Marketplace to submit a listing request.
Pending Listing	A listing request has been submitted and is awaiting Marketplace Admin review.	The version is locked (read-only). Email notifications are sent to designated Marketplace Admin approvers.	Wait for approval. Cancel the request if changes are needed. Optionally create a new active draft in parallel.
Listed	The required approvals have been received. The product is published.	The product is discoverable and accessible in the Marketplace.	Create an active draft to develop the next version. Optionally unlist (Marketplace Admin action).
Pending Update	An update request has been submitted for a new draft version to replace the listed version.	The new draft is locked. The previously listed version remains visible. Marketplace Admins are notified.	Wait for Marketplace Admin approval.
Listing Denied	The required number of denials was reached by Marketplace Admins.	The request is closed. The Data Product Admin receives an email. The version returns to Active Draft or is archived.	Review the denial feedback in listing logs, address the issues, and submit a new listing request.
Archived	The version has been superseded, cancelled with another draft present, or denied with another draft present.	The version is retained as a historical record in the version picker. Not visible in the Marketplace.	No further actions available on this version.

Available Actions by Version State¶

Action	Who	Available When Version Is in State…
Edit data product settings	Data Product Admin	Active Draft (Unlisted)
List in Marketplace	Data Product Admin	Active Draft, with no other version in Pending Listing
Cancel Listing Request	Data Product Admin	Pending Listing
Create active draft	Data Product Admin	Listed or Pending Listing (creates a new version alongside the existing one)
Update listed version	Data Product Admin	Active Draft — only visible when a Listed version also exists
Approve or Deny listing request	Marketplace Admin	Pending Listing
Approve or Deny update request	Marketplace Admin	Pending Update
Unlist a data product	Marketplace Admin	Listed
Delete data product	Data Product Admin	Active Draft

Note

At any point you can click View Product in the top-right corner of the data product settings page to preview how the product appears to Marketplace consumers, regardless of its current listing state.

Data Product Versioning and Marketplace Listing¶

Key Roles¶

How Versions Work¶

Version States¶

Version Lifecycle¶

Rules and Constraints¶

Data Contracts and Versions¶

Marketplace Listing¶

Before You List: Marketplace Standards¶

Submit a Listing Request¶

After Submission: Pending Listing State¶

Cancel a Listing Request¶

Create an Active Draft from a Listed Version¶

Update a Listed Version¶

What Happens When a Request Is Denied¶

Marketplace Review (Marketplace Admin)¶

Review a Listing Request¶

Review an Update Request¶

Approval Logic¶

Status Reference¶

Available Actions by Version State¶

Alation User Documentation PDFs