Patent ID: 7493570

Claim:
A computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to view data lineage of objects, comprising: display a list of objects that are part of a history of an original object in a first pane of data lineage output; receive selection of objects from the list of object; display a data lineage view that includes at least one data lineage path in a path area of the data lineage output, wherein the data lineage view is generated by a data lineage tool that tracks the original object through processes that touched that original object, wherein the at least one data lineage path is generated from the original object to a selected object from the list of objects and indicates how the original object was affected by the processes, wherein the data lineage view includes intermediate objects selected from the list of objects, and wherein the data lineage view is displayed as a fish eye view; display information about the objects in the data lineage view in a details area of the data lineage output; in response to receiving selection of an object in a data lineage path, horizontally align the original object and the selected object in the data lineage path; in response to receiving selection of an object in the data lineage view displayed as the fish eye view, enlarge a size of the selected object relative to unselected objects, while decreasing a size of one or more of the unselected objects, wherein the unselected objects do not include the original object and wherein the size of the selected object is a same size as a size of the original object; and in response to receiving selection of a second object in the data lineage view, wherein the previously selected object is a first object, dynamically update the data lineage view to modify the objects in the at least one data lineage path based on the selection, wherein visual presentation of intermediate objects between the original object and the second object is compressed by reducing a size of the intermediate objects; and provide details about the second object in the details area.