What is data provenance?

Data provenance refers to the documented history of data-where it came from, how it was obtained, what transformations it has undergone, and who has handled it along the way. For email marketing, provenance means knowing the origin of every email address in your database: was it collected through your own signup form, imported from a CRM, obtained through a partner referral, purchased from a data broker, or acquired through a merger? This lineage information helps you understand the quality, legitimacy, and appropriate use of your subscriber data.

Provenance tracking answers critical compliance questions. When regulators or subscribers ask how you obtained their email address, you need a documented answer. "We don't know" is a compliance failure-you're processing personal data without being able to demonstrate a lawful basis. Good provenance records include: source identification (the specific form, import, or acquisition that brought the address into your system), timestamp (when the data was obtained), consent status (what permissions accompanied the data), and chain of custody (who handled the data and what changes were made).

Maintaining provenance requires systematic tagging and tracking from point of collection. Every address entering your database should carry source metadata that persists throughout its lifecycle. When data is enriched, appended, or merged, record those transformations. When data moves between systems, maintain the provenance chain. This discipline seems burdensome until you need to prove how you obtained a specific address or audit the quality of data from a particular source-then it becomes invaluable. Data provenance is like a chain of custody for evidence. It uproves where your data came from and how it got to where it is now.