Perspectives

bookmarks The Graph is most useful when it shows what you’re trying to communicate. The layout that helps you explain a Data Vault model to an architect isn’t the same one that helps you walk a stakeholder through a source-to-target flow. Perspectives let you save those different views and switch between them.

What is a perspective?

A perspective is a saved snapshot of the Graph: node positions, zoom level, and layout state. It captures how you arranged the graph, not the metadata itself — so any changes you make to data objects after saving a perspective are reflected next time you open it.

You might keep several perspectives in a project:

• Source System — Just the source tables, laid out the way they appear in the source database.
• Staging flow — Source → landing → persistent staging, left-to-right.
• Data Vault core — Hubs, links, and satellites grouped by subject area.
• Stakeholder walkthrough — A simplified subset, hand-arranged for a meeting.

How perspectives are stored

Each perspective is saved as a separate JSON file in your project’s Perspectives/ folder. That means:

• They’re versioned with your project — committed to Git alongside your metadata and templates.
• They’re shared with the team — anyone who opens the project can switch to any saved perspective.
• They’re editable on disk — though the in-app save/load dialog is normally the easier route.

Working with perspectives in ADL

You save and load perspectives from the Graph screen:

• Save — Arrange the graph the way you want it, then save as a named perspective.
• Load — Switch to a saved perspective to restore that layout instantly.
• Update — Re-save over an existing perspective when the layout drifts.

When to use perspectives

• Recurring audiences — If you regularly present to the same group, save a perspective for them once and reuse it.
• Documentation snapshots — Pair a perspective with a screenshot for design documents.
• Working views — Save the layout you actually work in, separate from the layout you present.

What’s next?

• Graph — Where perspectives are created and loaded.
• How ADL Works — The metadata-and-templates foundation that perspectives sit on top of.