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A purpose's scope is defined entirely by the tags attached to it. Every asset in your catalog carrying at least one of those tags is automatically covered by the purpose's policies. Update the tags at any time: adding a tag expands the scope to include newly matched assets, and removing a tag drops those assets out of scope (the policies stop applying to them).

Prerequisites​

Before you change a purpose's tags, make sure:

  • You are an admin in Atlan, or you have the Governance Admin sub-role.
  • The purpose you want to update exists. If not, create it first.
  • The tags you want to add already exist in your workspace. If not, create them before continuing.

Add or remove tags​

  1. In your Atlan workspace, click Settings from the left menu.

    If you are using the Old UI (Classic), from the left menu, click Admin.

  2. Click Purpose to open the purposes list, then open the purpose you want to update.

  3. In the purpose header, click an existing tag (to edit it) or the + icon next to the tags list (to add a new one).

  4. To add a tag: search for and select it from the list.

  5. To remove a tag: click the × next to it in the list.

  6. Click Save to apply the changes. The purpose's scope updates immediately: newly matching assets are covered by all of the purpose's existing policies, and assets that no longer match are dropped from scope.

Removing a tag immediately revokes coverage

Any policy applied through this purpose stops affecting assets that no longer match any of the purpose's tags. If those assets were the only source of access controls in your workspace, users may suddenly gain or lose access. Review the impact before saving.

Effect on existing policies​

Changing tags doesn't change the policies themselves: only the set of assets they apply to:

  • Assets that now match a tag are immediately covered by every existing policy on the purpose.
  • Assets that no longer match any of the purpose's tags are immediately removed from the purpose's scope, and the policies stop applying to them.

Need help?​

If a tag change doesn't take effect or assets don't seem to fall in scope after a tag is added, verify the tag is actually applied to those assets (not just defined). Contact Atlan Support if the issue persists.

See also​