The Lineage of Spreadsheet Data
One of the most important features of spreadsheet data is its lineage. The lineage of spreadsheet data includes the record of where the spreadsheet data came from, the processing that it was subjected to, and the final transition into corporate data. There must always be a careful and formal log of the lineage of spreadsheet data.
There is a reason why lineage of spreadsheet data is important. Spreadsheet data is different from other “standard” corporate data. In “standard” corporate data (typically transaction based data), great care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the data. And if “standard” corporate data is shown to be wrong (have an incorrect value), then corrections are made to the standard data.
But spreadsheet data is different. At the root of every value found in spreadsheet data is a person who placed the data there. Only that person knows if the data on the spreadsheet is accurate or not,...
