Overview

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

Customer Managed Applies to customer-managed instances of Alation

A connector is an installable Alation software component that enables secure connection to data systems, such as databases, BI tools, and file systems, and powers extraction of metadata into the Alation data catalog. Connectors are fully supported by the Alation platform but are delivered separately. This modular approach keeps deployments lean and lets Alation customers add only the connectors they need for their data landscape. Once installed and configured, a connector handles discovery and ingestion of metadata from the data source system, so assets can be cataloged, governed, and searched in Alation.

Connector Entitlement Categories

Alation offers two entitlement categories of connectors: Core and Enhanced. This is not a technical taxonomy: it reflects how a connector is licensed and entitled.

  • Core connectors are included with all Alation platform tiers (within each tier’s connector limits). No additional entitlement required.

  • Enhanced connectors require a separate entitlement in addition to your Alation platform license and provide extended capabilities beyond core. They are fully supported, with licensing and support terms tied to the Enhanced entitlement.

Connectors in both categories are fully integrated into Alation’s Open Connector Framework (OCF) and appear in the product with no visible distinction between core and enhanced types.

Alation’s object-based pricing model applies equally: objects ingested through any connector count toward your licensed object volume.

The categorization reflects entitlement, not how lineage, metadata, or usage is surfaced in the product.

Connector Support Matrices

Alation provides detailed support matrices that outline the supported versions of databases, BI sources, and file systems. The matrices are essential for ensuring compatibility between your data systems and connectors and are available in the Support Matrices section of this site.

The matrices are versioned up to Alation version 2025.3. From 2025.3 onward, the matrix reflects the latest compatibility state as of the latest release.