The metadata journal service records changes to an information system through client devices that send changes made to objects for recording in a server. A client calls the server when a metadata event is raised. A metadata event may be raised when an object is modified, created, or deleted. The client sends the object identifier of object involved in the metadata event to the server, along with schema objects and operations associated with the object. The server generates a unique key for the metadata event, and stores the objects along with their associated schema objects and operations in the metadata journal. The journal may be searched and queried to provide metadata analysis, such as lineage or impact analysis for an object in the system.