AI engineering glossary · Data engineering
What is data lineage?
Data lineage: A record of where data came from, which steps changed it and where it flows next, often shown as a graph from source to report. It supports debugging, impact analysis before changes and compliance audits.
Data lineage: an example
When a revenue figure looks wrong, lineage shows it derives from a join between two staging tables, one of which failed to refresh.
Related terms
More Data engineering terms
- Data mart
- Data mesh
- Data modelling
- Data observability
- Data pipeline
- Data profiling
- Data quality
- Data retention policy
Where you learn it
Data lineage is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.