y2Graph

GPLv3 License

y2Graph (yaml to graph) is a simple Python tool to build W3C-PROV provenance graphs from workflow descriptions written in YAML. It uses the prov library to create entities, activities, and their relationships, and can export the results to PROV-JSON and a graph visualization (PNG).

This is useful when having to create large provenance graphs without needing to re-run the entire workflow.

Features

  • Define workflows in a simple YAML file
  • Each task specifies:
    • inputs (UUIDs representing files or data items)
    • outputs (UUIDs for generated results)
  • Automatically constructs a PROV document linking tasks and data
  • Export to:
    • prov.json (standard W3C PROV format)
    • PNG graph (requires Graphviz)

Example YAML Workflow

tasks:
  - id: task1
    label: "Load Data"
    attributes: 
      - timestamp: 12345
      - context: "training"
    inputs: []
    outputs:
      - "uuid-1234"

  - id: task2
    label: "Process Data"
    attributes: 
      - timestamp: 456677
    inputs:
      - "uuid-1234"
    outputs:
      - "uuid-5678"

  - id: task3
    label: "Analyze Results"
    inputs:
      - "uuid-5678"
    outputs:
      - "uuid-9999"

To create the corresponding graph: 

python run.py test.yaml

📂 Output

  • output_prov.json: PROV-JSON representation of the workflow
  • output_graph.png: Graph visualization of tasks and data flow

output_graph