sourcefrom

Sourcefrom is a term used in information management to describe the origin of a data item or artifact. It refers to the source from which the item was derived, including the immediate upstream element, repository, dataset, or document that supplied the data. The concept is widely discussed in the context of provenance and data lineage to establish trust and reproducibility.

In practice, sourcefrom is represented as metadata attached to data products. It can be a simple string or a structured object in schemas such as JSON, JSON-LD, or RDF. For example, a data record might include a sourceFrom field that points to a specific commit in a version control system or to the parent dataset from which the record was derived. This information supports tracing the lineage of information through processing pipelines and transformations.

Applications of sourcefrom include data governance, auditing, and compliance, as well as scientific reproducibility and software supply chain transparency. By recording where data originates, organizations can assess data quality, reproduce results, and verify the chain of custody for digital artifacts. Implementation considerations include ensuring consistent naming, avoiding ambiguity when multiple sources are merged, and addressing privacy and security concerns when upstream sources contain sensitive information.

Limitations arise from the lack of universal standards for provenance metadata and the potential overhead of maintaining source information in large systems. As a concept, sourcefrom complements broader provenance and metadata practices and is often discussed alongside data lineage and audit trails. See also provenance, data lineage, metadata, and audit trails.