Automated Alation Question Queue
Every morning, WebRun opens Alation, gathers the catalog questions analysts have left unanswered, matches each one to the data asset it is about and the steward who owns it, drafts a suggested answer from your existing articles, posts the queue to Microsoft Teams, and pings Telegram about the oldest.
How do I keep up with unanswered questions in our data catalog?
Every morning WebRun opens Alation, collects the catalog questions analysts left unanswered, matches each to the data asset and the steward who owns it, drafts a suggested answer from your existing articles, posts the queue to Microsoft Teams, and pings Telegram about the oldest still waiting.
- Analysts stop waiting days for a definition
- Every open question has a named steward, not a shared inbox
- Answers start from what the catalog already says
Built for data stewards · analytics engineers · data governance leads · BI teams
What does WebRun do on every run?
The exact actions WebRun takes, in order - in plain language, so you can adjust anything.
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WebRun signs in and gets to work
Opens
alation.comin a real browser with your saved login - no setup, no API keys. -
1
Alation - collect the unanswered questions
alation.com
WebRun opens Alation to collect the unanswered questions. - Open Alation and list the questions in the catalog with no accepted answer
- Capture who asked, when they asked, and the data asset the question is about
- Look up the steward or owner listed on that asset so the question has a name against it
- Draft a suggested answer from the existing article or column description and leave it unpublished
Done when Every open question has an asset, an owner, an age, and a drafted answer.
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2
Microsoft Teams - post the queue to stewards
microsoft.com
WebRun opens Microsoft Teams to post the queue to stewards. - Post the question queue to your data channel in Microsoft Teams
- Group questions by steward so each person sees only their own
- Show the asset, the asker, and how many days the question has waited
- Include the drafted answer under each question so the steward can approve or correct it
Done when Every steward can see their own open questions with a draft answer ready.
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3
Telegram - ping the steward on the oldest
telegram.org
WebRun opens Telegram to ping the steward on the oldest. - Send a Telegram message about the single oldest question still waiting
- Include the asset, the asker, and the number of days it has been open
- Stay quiet on mornings when nothing is older than your threshold
Done when The steward knows which analyst has been waiting longest.
How is each run configured?
Secure by default
Connect once, stays signed in
WebRun signs in once and keeps each session in a persistent environment, so every run picks up right where it left off.
Every action is checked against this policy before it runs.
Questions, answered
Will it post answers into the catalog by itself?
No. WebRun drafts a suggested answer and shows it in Microsoft Teams. A steward reads it and publishes it in Alation, so nothing wrong gets stamped as official.
Where does the suggested answer come from?
From what is already in your catalog: the asset description, its columns, and any linked article. WebRun does not invent a definition it cannot point to.
What if an asset has no steward listed?
The question is grouped under unassigned in the Teams post so it is visible rather than silently dropped, and you can name an owner before the next run.
Related templates
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