What is data provenance?

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Data provenance is the record of the origin and history of a data set, including where it came from, how it was collected, how it has been processed or transformed, and how it has evolved over time. This information provides traceability and reproducibility, so others can understand exactly how results were produced and potentially reproduce or reuse the data. In practice, provenance might include the data’s source, the steps and tools used to clean or transform it, versions of software or scripts, and timestamps of each change. Size, licensing terms, and presentation style describe different aspects (volume, usage rights, and appearance) and do not capture the data’s origin and history.