Basic platform usage
Essential information about using Atlan's core features, from browser requirements to data querying, asset management, and checking system status.
Essential information about using Atlan's core features, from browser requirements to data querying and asset management.
Which browsers does Atlan support?
Atlan supports browsers for which all functionalities can be validated. Atlan recommends using Google Chrome for an optimal user experience.
What's the availability of Atlan?
Atlan software is constantly available (24x7). You'll be notified in advance if Atlan experiences any downtime or outage. See also High availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR).
When does Atlan apply updates to my tenant?
Atlan applies tenant infrastructure upgrades and security patches during your maintenance window, separately from regular feature rollouts. A workspace admin can set the days and start time for that window from Labs in the admin workspace. See What's the maintenance window for managing updates?.
How can I check the current status of Atlan's systems?
You can check the real-time system health and monitor any ongoing incidents on Atlan's status page. The status page shows current system health, past incidents with timelines and resolutions, and lets you subscribe to incident updates via email, RSS/Atom feeds, or Slack. Atlan relies on critical global infrastructure from providers like AWS, GCP, Azure, and Cloudflare, and the status page helps you stay informed about the impact of incidents at these providers on Atlan services.
How does Atlan access the data for queries?
Atlan pushes all queries to the source. Each query generated in Atlan is a pushdown SQL query into the underlying source database. This data is neither stored nor cached anywhere in Atlan. It's encrypted in transit using AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS). See also Encryption and key management.
In addition, Atlan applies access policies to the results before displaying them.
Can I switch off the query feature for data security concerns?
You can block all users from querying data across all data assets. You'll need to be an admin user to toggle the Data Exploration option off from the admin workspace.
What types of files can be received into Atlan?
Atlan supports cataloging files through APIs. The supported file types include document, Excel, PPT, CSV, TXT, JSON, XML, and ZIP files.
Separately, unstructured business content such as SOPs, policies, and compliance rules can be uploaded as knowledge files, which become governed, discoverable catalog assets that give AI agents procedural context that doesn't live in a database.
Can I export all the data from Atlan?
There are three ways to get metadata out of Atlan, depending on how much you need and how often.
Spreadsheet export. Export all your assets or a filtered subset of assets and their metadata to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. See Export assets.
Asset export apps. Two apps produce CSV files and deliver them by direct download, email, or object storage (S3, GCS, ADLS):
- Asset export (basic) extracts metadata for enriched assets—the ones where users have added business context such as descriptions, owners, tags, terms, or custom metadata, rather than raw crawled assets. The exported CSV can be fed back through the Asset Import app.
- Asset export (advanced) exports a filtered set of assets to a destination you specify, with control over filter logic, custom metadata filters, and which attributes are included.
Both apps are off by default—contact Atlan support to have them added to your tenant.
Metadata Lakehouse. For reporting and AI use cases, the Atlan Lakehouse is an open, Iceberg-native store that makes all your Atlan metadata queryable directly, without exporting files at all. Connect any Iceberg REST-compatible client and run SQL, build dashboards, or power AI applications on top of your metadata. See the Lakehouse reference for what's available.
How do I update my profile picture in Atlan?
To update your profile picture in Atlan:
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Click your name to open the menu.
- If you are using the Old UI (Classic), click your name in the top right corner.
- If you are using the New UI, click your name in the bottom left corner.
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From the dropdown, click Profile.
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In the Profile sidebar, click the edit icon and then click Change avatar to upload a new image.
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(Optional) You can add or update other relevant details in your Atlan profile - for example, primary role, skills, and even your Slack member ID.
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Click Save to save your changes.
How do I switch between UI versions?
Atlan offers both a new and old user interface. You can easily switch between them based on your preference. Refer to the Switch between UI versions guide for detailed steps on how to switch between the new and old UI.