System of record
A system of record is the source a business treats as authoritative for specified information. A finance system may govern posted invoices while a service platform governs work-order status. The designation identifies where to resolve a particular fact; it does not imply that one system contains every relevant detail.
How it works
Organizations define which application owns a data element and how other systems receive updates. Identifiers, update timing, reconciliation, and correction processes help keep copies consistent. A reporting warehouse may combine many sources while still depending on them for authoritative changes.
For historical analysis, a current record and its change history are different. A system that shows today’s status may not preserve the steps that produced it.
Why it matters for licensing
A licensing assessment benefits from knowing the authoritative source, export method, field definitions, and update history. That information supports quality checks and helps distinguish original operational records from reports derived elsewhere.
Example
Fictional example: A business uses its accounting platform as the authority for payment status and its scheduling platform for technician visits. A dataset describing completed jobs must reconcile those sources rather than assuming either contains the entire process.
Limitations and misconceptions
“Authoritative” does not mean error-free or unrestricted for reuse. Entries can be late, corrected, or incomplete, and access rights remain separate from licensing rights. System migrations can also change identifiers and historical coverage.
Questions to ask
- Which system is authoritative for each field and time period?
- Are changes and corrections preserved, or only the latest value?
- How are exports reconciled with other systems?
Sources
- IBM — System of record · Accessed
- W3C — PROV Overview · Accessed
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