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Open With (DataOS)

DataOS: Bi-Directional Data Discovery

Integration Spec

637

On a personal computer, the operating system handles file management and supports two flows by which a user can open a file in a third-party application in order to read or edit it. The user can either

  • start in their application of choice, select File> Open , and use an OS-provided modal to select a compatible document
  • start in the OS’s file browser (e.g. Windows or Finder) and navigate to the desired document, then right-click, choose Open With and pick the app of their choice from those registered as capable of opening the doc

As a data catalog, Alation is an ideal platform for finding and choosing among data objects (based on historical usage and explicit curation)—it can therefore serve as the equivalent of the OS for apps like yours which empower users to take data and transform it, visualize it, make predictions based on it, or otherwise put it to use.

  • with the Alation Data Explorer (also called the EmbeddableCatalogChooser or mCC), users can begin their workflow in your app, and select data to use in a framed Alation Catalog within your app
  • with Open-With Registration , users who start their workflow in Alation can find an object they want to use in your app, and then open it in your app with a click