Data structures and meaning
Dataset lineage and derivation
Where each dataset comes from: sources, transformations and the datasets they produce, end to end.
ddn@1New DDN source
Why use it?
Every number on a report should answer "from where" in one look.
When it helps
Auditing data products, debugging a wrong number, or onboarding to a pipeline.
How to read it
- Read right-to-left from the report: each arrow is a derivation step you can inspect.
- A dataset with no recorded source is an assumption, not a fact.
What you need
- The sources
- The transformation steps
- The produced datasets
Things to check
- Do not skip the boring intermediate datasets — they are where errors hide.
- Do not draw lineage at a granularity you cannot actually inspect.
Scope of this diagram
Declared lineage; no data actually flows when you read this.
Work with the converted example
- Open the viewer and select
diagram. Inspect the rendered view and its source. - Open the designer. Keep the selected profile and inspect its legal palette and property controls.
- Change one displayed title or an appropriate data value. Apply the edit and check the resulting diagram.
- Run the verifier and review its diagnostics before moving complete content into review.
- Download your edited DDN source to retain the change.
The example uses the indentation-based ddn-next-1 dialect. The language guide explains reusable definitions, dotted data rows and explicit property blocks.