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What is data lineage?

What is data lineage? This five-minute video provides a concise overview of what the process is, why it matters, and explores key use cases.

Data lineage is the history of how your data is ingested, transformed and stored within a pipeline. It plays a critical role in data quality and provides accurate information to make informed decisions about your architecture.
Whether you're solving compliance challenges, optimising risk models, or investigating root causes, mastering data lineage is fundamental to superior data management.
In this short video, Matt Barnfied—our Lead Data Engineer—takes to the whiteboard to provide a tidy overview of the process, why it matters, and share key use cases.
Check it out below:
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Matt Barnfield

Senior Technical Lead

15 January 2025

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About the AuthorMatt Barnfield

Matt Barnfield is a Senior Technical Lead at Softwire, specialising in medical data engineering. His work underpins cutting-edge ophthalmic research, contributing to the development of novel sight-saving treatments and the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Matt is known for his close collaboration with the scientists, clinicians, and researchers behind the data. He believes technical systems should complement human behaviour rather than dictate it, and designs data platforms that enable users to explore, interpret, and act with confidence.

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