Data lineage documents the path information takes through a system: the source document, the processing and extraction steps applied, and the outputs derived from it. In AI systems it links a generated statement back to the specific source passage that supports it.
It differs from an audit log, which records who did what and when, rather than how data was transformed.
Alternative Names:
Data Provenance, Lineage Tracking
Why it Matters?
Lineage is what makes verification practical at scale. If an extracted fact links to a specific page of a specific medical record, an attorney can confirm it in seconds. If it does not, verification means re-reading the source material, which defeats the purpose of the tool. In litigation work, lineage is effectively the difference between usable and unusable AI output.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How is data lineage different from an audit trail?
Why does lineage matter for legal AI?
