Every metadata component in Swantide includes a References table that shows two things: what the component references (its dependencies) and what references it (its dependents). Impact analysis is the first use case most customers reach for in Swantide — the References table is the tool built for it.
When to use this
Before modifying or deleting a field, flow, Apex class, or object — to understand what will break.
When debugging an issue — to trace which automations touch a specific field.
During org cleanup — to determine if a component is safe to remove.
When onboarding to a new org — to understand how components are connected.
How to access the References table
Open the Data Dictionary in your Swantide org.
Find the component you want to investigate — use search or filter by category.
Click into the component to open its detail view.
Select the References tab. References are bidirectional, so you'll see two lists: Components referenced within this component (what it depends on) and Components that reference this component (what depends on it).
A high-traffic field like Opportunity.StageName can show hundreds of references in a real org — that's the point. The References table is how you see the full blast radius before touching anything.
You can export the references as a CSV — click Download CSV on the References tab to download the dependencies and dependents as a spreadsheet for offline analysis or sharing. Just like the main Data Dictionary view, the export respects whatever filter you have applied, so you can narrow the references first (for example, to a single component type) and export only that subset. This is especially useful when a high-traffic component has more references than you can review comfortably on screen.
Example: checking before you delete a custom field
Suppose you want to delete Account.Custom_Score__c. Open the field in the Data Dictionary and check the References tab. If it's referenced by 3 flows, 2 validation rules, and 1 Apex trigger, you know to update all of those before removing the field.
Pair the References table with the AI Assistant
The References table is deterministic — it's Swantide's metadata dependency index, not an AI guess. Use it as your source of truth, then layer on the AI Assistant for context and recommendations on a specific component at a time:
"What are all the components that reference Account.Custom_Score__c? List each one with its type and a brief description of how it uses the field."
"I want to delete the validation rule Require_Phone_on_Lead. What other components depend on the fields used in this validation rule?"
"The flow Lead_Assignment_Process references the field Lead.Region__c. If I rename that field, what else needs to be updated?"
For broad, org-wide tracing ("find every component that references X"), start in the References tab on that component — it's the source of truth for complete, org-wide dependency lists and is built to return every item. The AI Assistant is your tool for analyzing the components the References table surfaces.
Tips
The table is deterministic. It shows exact metadata relationships from Swantide's dependency index, not AI-generated guesses — use it as your source of truth.
Cross-reference the table with AI Assistant answers for the most complete picture (deterministic plus contextual).
Zero inbound references ≠ safe to delete. A component with nothing referencing it may be a cleanup candidate, but always verify with your team — some components are referenced from places Swantide can't see (external systems, scheduled jobs).