What is data provenance?

Definition

Data provenance connects an output to the source records and processing steps that shaped it. It can include ingestion time, source identity, validation, cleaning, transformations, software versions and the people or systems that handled the data.

Provenance supports reproducibility, investigation and audit. In a financial artificial intelligence system, it helps an investigator reconstruct the evidence available at a past point in time without silently substituting later data or processing logic.

Acronyms and aliases

data lineage synonym

Frequently asked questions

What information is stored in data provenance?

It can store source identity, timestamps, custody, validation, transformations, versions and links between derived and original records.

Why is data provenance important for artificial intelligence?

It lets reviewers trace a model result back to the exact data and processing history that influenced it.

Videos explaining data provenance