recoveredfrom

recoveredfrom is a term used in data management, digital forensics, backup and recovery, and incident response to denote the source or origin from which data was recovered. It commonly appears as a field name in records, logs, or data schemas, sometimes written as recoveredFrom in code or recovered_from in snake_case, depending on the naming convention of the system.

Purpose and usage

The primary purpose of recoveredfrom is to provide provenance for recovered data. By recording where data came from—such as a specific storage device, backup archive, cloud bucket, or file path—organizations can improve traceability, audits, and incident analysis. It is often used during restoration processes, after device failures, or in after-action reports to identify the original source of the recovered material.

Typical formats

recoveredfrom can be implemented as:

- A simple string: recoveredfrom: "Disk 3 /dev/sdb1"

- A structured object with fields such as:

- sourceType: e.g., disk, cloud, archive

- location: e.g., "/mnt/backup/server.log" or "us-east-1-bucket/backup.tar.gz"

- timestamp: when recovery occurred

- method: recover, restore, extract, copy

Some systems prefer camelCase (recoveredFrom) while others use snake_case (recovered_from); the choice depends on existing data models.

Relationship to other concepts

recoveredfrom is a metadata concept aligned with data provenance and data lineage. It complements other recovery metadata such as recoveryTime, recoveryMethod, and integrity checks. It is not standardized by a universal protocol, so implementations vary by organization and toolset.

Limitations

The usefulness of recoveredfrom depends on consistent recording practices. Incomplete or inaccurate values can reduce traceability and complicate audits or investigations.

See also

Data provenance, data lineage, metadata, incident response, disaster recovery, digital forensics.