Track · 2:30 · Liner note
Handed Down Through Tables
Data lineage records where each dataset came from and which transformations shaped it, so any number can be traced back to its source.
Every number has a family tree: a source system, a load, three transformations and a view. Handed Down Through Tables is about keeping that record. Lineage shows where a column came from and what touched it on the way, which lets you answer both questions people ask: what broke this, and what will break if I change that.
Capture lineage automatically where you can, since hand-drawn diagrams age within a week. Use it forward before a change, to find who depends on a column, and backward after an incident, to find where a value went wrong.