Don't want to manually document every asset in dScribe? We feel you. While some documentation and governance work will always need a human touch, you can save yourself a lot of the repetitive work by leveraging automations.
Automations let you automatically:
assign custom property values to assets;
assign owners to assets;
restrict the discovery of assets.
You manage them in the Admin Portal > Automations.
The two types of automations
There are two types of automations in dScribe, distinguished by what sets them off:
Source-triggered automations — run when an asset is created or updated in an external source (for example, in Power BI).
Action-triggered automations — run when an action is performed inside dScribe, such as a manual create or edit.
This distinction matters. To prevent overlapping automations and avoid locking the assets being updated, a source-triggered automation will not set off an action-triggered automation, and vice versa. Keeping the two apart ensures smoother handling and prevents unintended conflicts when updates occur.
A source-triggered automation always begins with the same kind of when statement — it watches for an asset from a specific source:
The automation above will not be triggered when you create a dataset or report manually within dScribe — only when the asset comes in from the source.
Defining an automation
Each automation is built from a when statement and a then statement:
The when statement
The when statement defines the conditions that must be met before the automation runs. As you build it up, more options gradually become available. For example, once you specify that an asset comes from a source of type SAP Analytics Cloud, you can then add conditions based on source metadata specific to that source type:
Every circled part of a condition can be clicked to change its value:
The then statement
The then statement defines what should happen when the when conditions are met. The list of available actions depends on the conditions you've included in the when statement.
Text operators
Good to know:
• All text operators are case insensitive.
• Wildcards don't work in text operators — characters such as * or % are treated literally.
• Define your values in the correct format. Check the Source Information section of an already-loaded asset to see the exact formatting to match.
Contains
Matches any result that contains the value you enter.
Does not contain
Matches any result that does not contain the value you enter.
Starts with
Matches any result that starts with the value you enter. For example, the automation below runs for every asset stored in (or in a subfolder of) the folder Public/Finance:
Ends with
Matches any result that ends with the value you enter.
Matches exactly
Looks for a precise text match. For example, the automation below runs only for assets stored directly in the folder Public/Finance (not its subfolders):
Automation status
Each automation has a state. An automation with State = Inactive will not run until you set it to Active.
Can I run an automation on demand?
No, an automation cannot be executed manually or "right now." Automations are designed to trigger automatically whenever an asset matches the event in their when statement — for example, the moment a matching asset is created or updated by a source.
If you need an ad-hoc update across a set of existing assets, use a bulk action instead. Users with the right permissions can filter the already cataloged assets on the Search page and apply changes — property values, ownership, discovery restrictions — across the whole selection in one go.
Examples
Below are a few automations to show what's possible.
Set a property on assets from a specific folder
This automation sets the property Domain to Finance for any newly cataloged report coming from the source SAP Analytics Cloud reporting and stored in the folder Public/Finance:
Auto-suggest properties for Power BI assets
When any Report or Dataset is created and the asset comes from Power BI, dScribe automatically suggests property values — giving stewards a head start instead of a blank slate.
Suggested property values will appear under AI Suggestions on the home page.
Assign an owner based on the source workspace
When any asset is created, comes from Power BI, and its Workspace matches exactly 'DEV. Finance' or 'PRD. Finance', the owner is set to the Finance stewards team — so finance assets land with the right owners automatically.
Label data as PII
When any Dataset is created and comes from source Fabric DWH, the asset is automatically labeled as PII — useful for flagging sensitive data the moment it's cataloged.
Validate production assets and clear the discovery policy
When any asset in SAP Analytics Cloud is moved towards a Folder that starts with PROD, the automation sets the asset to Validated and changes the Discovery Policy to Unassigned so the asset is discoverable for all users in the catalog.
Note in this example also that you can include more than one then action in each automation.
Where to go next
→ Bulk actions — apply ad-hoc updates across many existing assets at once
→ Editing assets — how owners, properties, and values are edited manually
→ Restrict discovery — what the Discovery Policy action controls
Have a question or can't find what you're looking for? Use the chat icon inside the catalog to reach the dScribe support team.