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Tags and Tag Views

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Overview

Tags in Etlworks let you organize, filter, and group resources such as Connections, Formats, Flows, Schedules, Agents, Templates, Macros, and more.

With the introduction of Tag Views in 8.6.1, tags are no longer just labels. They now support saved groupings, advanced filtering, and role-based visibility, making them a core navigation and organization feature across the platform.

Starting with version 8.6.5, Etlworks also supports centralized tag management. Administrators can rename or delete tags directly from the Tags input, either for the current tenant or, for super administrators, across all tenants. This allows teams to keep tag taxonomies clean, consistent, and easy to maintain as environments grow.

This article explains:

  • What tags are and how to use them

  • How to filter and group resources using tags

  • How Tag Views work and when to use them

  • Managing Tags (Rename and Delete)

  • Common tagging patterns and best practices

What Are Tags

A tag is a user-defined label that can be attached to a resource.

Each resource can have multiple tags, and tags are shared across the system.

Examples:

  • production

  • finance

  • customer-acme

  • cdc

  • nightly

  • owned-by-data-team

Tags are free-form strings. Etlworks does not enforce a predefined taxonomy, allowing teams to define conventions that match their workflows.

What Are Tag Views

A Tag View is a saved collection of tags that acts as a virtual tag.

Instead of selecting multiple tags repeatedly, you can:

  • Create a Tag View once

  • Reuse it across screens

  • Expand it to see all matching resources

  • Filter resources by the entire view with one click

Think of a Tag View as:

  • A reusable filter

  • A logical group

  • A shortcut for complex tag combinations

Example

Instead of manually selecting:

  • production

  • finance

  • daily

You create a Tag View:

  • Finance – Production – Daily

That view can now be used anywhere tags are supported.

Where Tags and Tag Views Are Used

Tags and Tag Views are supported across most Etlworks resource lists, including:

  • Connections

  • Formats

  • Flows

  • Schedules

  • Agents

  • Templates

  • Explorer

  • Macros

  • Object selectors and dialogs

Anywhere you see the Tags input, both tags and tag views can be used for filtering.

Adding Tags to a Resource

When editing a resource (for example a Flow or Connection):

  1. Locate the Tags field.

  2. Start typing a tag name.

  3. Press Enter to add it.

  4. Repeat to add multiple tags.

Tags are saved automatically with the resource.

Creating a Tag That Partially Matches an Existing Tag

Sometimes you may want to create a new tag even if a similar one already exists.

Example:

  • Existing tag: test-flows

  • New tag you want: test

To do this:

  1. Start typing the new tag.

  2. When an existing tag is suggested, do not select it.

  3. Press Ctrl + Enter to force creation of the new tag.

This allows precise control over tag naming without conflicts.

Removing a Tag from a Resource

To remove a tag:

  1. Edit the resource.

  2. Click the × icon next to the tag name.

This removes the tag from that resource only. The tag itself remains available system-wide.

Filtering Resources by Tags and Tag Views

When viewing a list of resources:

  1. Open the Tags filter.

  2. Select one or more tags or tag views.

  3. Choose the filter operator:

    • OR (default): show resources matching any selected tag

    • AND: show resources matching all selected tags

Filtering updates the list immediately.

Managing Tags (Rename and Delete)

Etlworks allows administrators to manage existing tags directly from anywhere the Tags input is available.

This includes the ability to:

  • Rename tags

  • Delete unused or incorrect tags

  • Apply changes either to the current tenant or globally across all tenants (super administrators only)

Tag management is available from the same UI used for filtering and selecting tags.

Opening the Tag Management Dialog

  1. Locate a Tags input (for example in Flows, Agents, Templates, or other tag-enabled lists).
  2. Click the gear icon (Manage Tag Views and Tags) next to the tag operator (OR | AND).

Note: The gear icon is visible only to administrators and super administrators.

The dialog contains multiple tabs. The two relevant ones for tag management are:

  • Tags

  • Tags (All Tenants)

Tags vs Tags (All Tenants)

Tags

The Tags tab allows managing tags within the current tenant only.

Changes made here affect:

  • Only the active tenant

  • All resources that use the modified tags in that tenant

Tags (All Tenants)

The Tags (All Tenants) tab is available only to super administrators.

Changes made here:

  • Apply to all tenants

  • Affect every resource in the system using the modified tags

A warning banner is displayed at the top of the tab to clearly indicate the global scope of the changes.

Available Actions

Both Tags and Tags (All Tenants) tabs provide the same functionality.

Rename Tags

To rename a tag:

  1. Locate the tag in the list.

  2. Enter a new value in the New tag name field.

  3. Leave the delete checkbox unchecked.

Renamed tags are updated everywhere they are used.

Delete Tags

To delete one or more tags:

  1. Select the checkbox next to the tag name.

  2. Leave the new tag name empty.

Deleted tags are permanently removed.

If a tag is deleted:

  • It is removed from all resources

  • It no longer appears in tag selectors or filters

Bulk Selection and Filtering

The editor supports bulk operations and filtering

  • Select all checkbox deletes all currently visible tags (filters apply first)

  • Filter tags by:

    • Existing tag name

    • New tag name

  • Filters apply instantly and affect bulk selection

Tag Matching Options

Two matching options are available at the top of the editor:

  • Ignore leading and trailing spaces

    Ignores surrounding whitespace when matching tag names. Stored tag values are not modified.

  • Match tags by exact case

    Treats tags with different letter casing as distinct (for example api and API).

These options control how tag names are matched during rename and delete operations.

Saving Changes and Confirmation

Clicking Save opens a confirmation dialog summarizing the pending changes.

The dialog always confirms that:

  • Renamed tags will be updated everywhere they are used

  • Deleted tags will be permanently removed

Deleting All Tags Warning

If all tags are selected for deletion, an additional warning is shown:

You have selected all tags for deletion. This will permanently remove all tags.

This extra confirmation is designed to prevent accidental destructive actions.

Permissions Summary

Action

Required Role

Rename tags (current tenant)

Admin

Delete tags (current tenant)

Admin

Rename tags (all tenants)

Super Admin

Delete tags (all tenants)

Super Admin

Benefits of Centralized Tag Management

Managing tags directly from the Tags input allows teams to:

  • Clean up unused or inconsistent tags

  • Enforce consistent naming conventions

  • Rename tags without manually updating every resource

  • Perform global cleanup across tenants when needed

This addresses one of the most frequently requested features and significantly improves long-term maintainability of large Etlworks environments.

Managing Tag Views (Saved Views)

Tag Views are created and managed using the Manage Tag Views and Tags dialog.

You can open it from any tag-enabled list (for example Flows, Agents, Templates):

  1. Locate a Tags input (for example in Flows, Agents, Templates, or other tag-enabled lists).
  2. Click the gear icon (Manage Tag Views and Tags) next to the tag operator (OR | AND).

This opens modal dialog Manage Tag Views and Tags.

Creating a Tag View

To create a new Tag View:

  1. Click the + button in the left panel.

  2. Enter a Name for the view.

  3. Select one or more Tags in View.

  4. (Optional) Configure user and role access rules.

  5. Click Save.

Once saved, the Tag View becomes immediately available:

  • In all tag filters

  • In grouped Tags View mode

  • Across all supported screens

Editing an Existing Tag View

To edit a Tag View:

  1. Open Manage Saved Views.

  2. Select the view from the left-hand list.

  3. Modify its name, tags, or access rules.

  4. Click Save.

Changes take effect immediately.

Deleting a Tag View

To delete a Tag View:

  1. Open Manage Saved Views.

  2. Select the view.

  3. Click the trash icon.

  4. Confirm deletion.

Deleting a Tag View does not delete any tags or resources.

It only removes the saved view definition.

Tag View Access Control (Users and Roles)

Tag Views support fine-grained visibility control based on users and roles.

This allows teams to define views that are:

  • Visible only to specific users

  • Visible only to specific roles

  • Hidden from selected users or roles

Access rules are enforced everywhere the Tag View appears.

Access Control Options

Each Tag View can define the following rules:

Include Users

Only the selected users can see this Tag View.

Exclude Users

All users except the selected ones can see the view.

Include Roles

Only users with the selected roles can see the view.

Exclude Roles

Users with the selected roles will not see the view.

You can combine user- and role-based rules as needed.

How Access Control Is Enforced

Access rules apply to:

  • Tag filters

  • Grouped Tags View mode

  • Object selectors and dialogs

  • Any screen that supports tags

If a user does not have access to a Tag View:

  • The view does not appear in the Tags dropdown

  • The view does not appear in grouped Tags View

  • The user cannot filter or expand it

This ensures consistent, system-wide enforcement.

Common Access Control Use Cases

Team-Specific Views

Create views such as:

  • Finance Pipelines

  • Marketing Data Flows

  • Platform CDC Jobs

Visible only to the corresponding teams.

Environment Isolation

Create views like:

  • Production Only

  • Dev and Test Resources

Restrict production views to admin or ops roles.

Customer or Project Isolation

Create views per customer or project and expose them only to assigned users.

Grouping Resources by Tags and Tags View

Many resource lists support Tags View, which groups resources under tag headers.

To enable it:

  1. Click the Tags View button (tag icon) in the list toolbar.

What happens:

  • Resources are grouped under their tags

  • Tags become expandable sections

  • Untagged resources appear under Untagged

You can collapse or expand individual tags, or expand/collapse all at once.

How Tag Views Behave in Filters and Grouped Mode

In Filters

  • Tag Views appear alongside regular tags.

  • Selecting a Tag View applies all its underlying tags automatically.

  • Tag Views can be combined with regular tags.

  • OR / AND logic applies to Tag Views the same way it does to tags.

In Grouped (Tags View) Mode

When Tags View is enabled:

  • Tag Views are shown before regular tags.

  • Each Tag View acts as a virtual tag header.

  • Expanding a Tag View shows all matching resources.

  • Regular tags and Untagged appear below Tag Views.

This allows layered navigation:

  • High-level grouping with Tag Views

  • Detailed grouping with individual tags

  • Fallback grouping for untagged resources

Expandable vs Collapsed Tags and Tag Views

In Account → Preferences, you can control how Tags View behaves:

  • Expandable tags enabled

    • Tags and Tag Views are collapsible

    • Ideal for large environments

  • Expandable tags disabled

    • Only tag names are shown

    • Resources are always visible

    • Useful for smaller setups

This setting applies globally to all tag-enabled screens.

Common Tagging Patterns

Environment-Based

  • dev

  • test

  • production

Ownership

  • team-finance

  • team-analytics

  • team-platform

Purpose

  • cdc

  • batch

  • real-time

  • reporting

Customer or Project

  • customer-acme

  • project-migration-2025

Combined via Tag Views

  • Finance Production Flows

  • CDC Pipelines

  • Customer Acme – All Resources

Best Practices

  • Use consistent naming (avoid mixing prod and production)

  • Prefer lowercase tags

  • Keep tags short and descriptive

  • Use Tag Views for frequently reused combinations

  • Avoid overloading single tags with multiple meanings

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