Provenance record

The trail from a published figure back to the archived source bytes: the raw file as received, the script that transformed it, the check log, and the manifest that hashes them. A first transformation done by hand and never preserved makes every number downstream unreproducible, however carefully it was computed.

What failure is Provenance record named after?

The step nobody can run again. The first transformation, raw file to working data, done interactively and never preserved, so no number is reproducible from source.

What does it look like on a real file?

Every Meridian figure traces to an archived raw file and the script that read it, so the number can be produced again.

Not for

Not a version control history. Provenance runs from the archived source bytes to the published figure, not from commit to commit.

Nearest terms

Certified deliverableA rendered, self contained HTML page plus its machine artifacts: the data, the checks log, and...Unproven, computed, certifiedThe three states a figure can be in on a page Reconciliation anchorA total the source file states about itself, a printed grand total, a totals row, a stated...

Last updated 2026-09-02 · Dylan, founder · one of 40 terms in the Kymira glossary, each one named after something we watched go wrong in a real build or in our own audits.

Get the free skill → The doctrine The failure catalogue