Track · 1:22 · Liner note
Source of Truth
A source of truth is the single authoritative system or dataset for a given fact, so when copies disagree everyone knows which one wins.
When two reports disagree, the useful question is not who is right but which system owns the fact. A source of truth is that system: the one place a customer’s status, a price or a headcount is entered and corrected, with every other copy downstream of it.
Declaring one is as much governance as engineering. Write down the owner, the refresh path and the tolerance for lag. Then make the copies point back to it. The arguments end quickly once everyone knows where to look.