Dattenter

Dattenter is a term used in data governance and data integration discussions to describe a process or system for consolidating data entries from multiple sources into a single, coherent dataset while preserving data provenance. The concept emphasizes traceability, versioning, and verifiable lineage of each data item, enabling users to track when data was created or modified and by which source. In practice, dattenter functions as both a workflow and a data model.

The term appears to be a portmanteau of data and enter, reflecting the act of entering information into a unified store. While not standardized in major frameworks, dattenter has been used in academic and industry discussions to contrast with traditional ETL approaches that may de-emphasize provenance.

Definition and practice: a dattenter pipeline maps heterogeneous input schemas to a canonical model, validates quality rules, and attaches comprehensive provenance metadata to each record. This metadata typically includes source identifiers, timestamps, version numbers, and the processing steps that produced or transformed the data. The result is a dataset with auditable history and support for reconstructing past states.

Applications and challenges: organizations adopt dattenter concepts to improve regulatory reporting, data auditing, and cross-system analytics. Challenges include coordinating schema evolution, ensuring privacy and access controls, handling large-scale lineage data, and balancing performance with thorough provenance tracking.

See also: data lineage, data governance, ETL, data lake.