In a method for passively relating data to metadata, associations that relate data in a first database to metadata in a second database are received, wherein an association links the data to the metadata, wherein the data is for use in a software application, and wherein the associations are created automatically without user interaction. A visual clue is displayed in a graphical interface of the software application, wherein the visual clue corresponds to a visual representation of the data, and wherein the visual clue is created based on the metadata and the associations. The metadata corresponding to the visual clue is searched for in response to detecting a user interaction with the visual clue. A first portion of the metadata related to the data is displayed.