A system of record (SOR) or source system of record (SSoR) is a
data management
Data management comprises all disciplines related to handling data as a valuable resource, it is the practice of managing an organization's data so it can be analyzed for decision making.
Concept
The concept of data management emerged alongsi ...
term for an
information
Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...
storage system (commonly implemented on a
computer system
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', wh ...
running a
database management system
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and an ...
) that is the authoritative data source for a given
data element
In metadata, the term data element is an atomic unit of data that has precise meaning or precise semantics. A data element has:
# An identification such as a data element name
# A clear data element definition
# One or more representation term ...
or piece of information, like for example a
row (or record) in a
table
Table may refer to:
* Table (database), how the table data arrangement is used within the databases
* Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs
* Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and column ...
. In
data vault it is referred to as the record source.
Background
The need to identify systems of record can become acute in organizations where
management information system
A management information system (MIS) is an information system used for decision-making, and for the coordination, control, analysis, and visualization of information in an organization. The study of the management information systems involves peo ...
s have been built by taking output data from multiple source systems, re-processing this data, and then re-presenting the result for a new business use.
In these cases, multiple information systems may disagree about the same piece of information. These disagreements may stem from semantic differences, differences in opinion, use of different sources, differences in the timing of the
extract, transform, load
Extract, transform, load (ETL) is a three-phase computing process where data is ''extracted'' from an input source, ''transformed'' (including cleaning), and ''loaded'' into an output data container. The data can be collected from one or mor ...
processes that create the data they report against, or may simply be the result of bugs.
Use
The
integrity
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and Honesty, truthfulness or of one's actions. Integr ...
and
validity of any
data set
A data set (or dataset) is a collection of data. In the case of tabular data, a data set corresponds to one or more table (database), database tables, where every column (database), column of a table represents a particular Variable (computer sci ...
is open to question when there is no
traceable connection to a good source, and listing a source system of record is a solution to this. Where the integrity of the data is vital, if there is an agreed system of record, the data element must either be linked to, or extracted directly from it. In other cases, the provenance and estimated data quality should be documented.
The "system of record" approach is a good fit for environments where both:
* there is a single authority over all data consumers, and
* all consumers have similar needs
Trade-offs
In diverse environments, one instead needs to support the presence of multiple opinions. Consumers may accept different authorities or may differ on what constitutes an authoritative source -- researchers may prefer carefully vetted data, while tactical military systems may require the most recent credible report.
See also
*
Golden record (informatics), the master version or valid version of a data element in a single source of truth system
*
Master data management
Master data management (MDM) is a discipline in which business and information technology collaborate to ensure the uniformity, accuracy, stewardship, semantic consistency, and accountability of the enterprise's official shared master data assets. ...
, defining the handling of master data
*
Privacy Act of 1974
Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively.
The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of ...
, U.S. law including requirement for agencies to publish System Of Records Notices (SORN) in the
Federal Register
The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the government gazette, official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every wee ...
to identify the system and describe the use of individuals' data.
*
Single source of truth, practice of using one source for a particular data element
References
*
*
*
*Nwaneri, Chineye (2019-02-12).
System of Record, System of Reference, Golden Records, and other confusing terms in Master Data Management. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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Information systems
Data management