Miguel Marengo Canales

blog/technical

technical · data and decisions

Data traceability in supply chain decisions

Recording origin, transformations and use in decisions: documenting the path of data from capture to operational decision.

Miguel Marengo Canales
 |2 min |comments
source data transformations action inventory orders sensors ERP aggregations filters models purchase reallocation stock adjustment output rebuild the chain backward

swipe to see the chain →

tracing means rebuilding the chainsource data → transformations → output that fed an action, and back again
in 30 seconds
  • Traceability is not about storing more files; it is being able to rebuild the chain: source data, transformations and the output that fed an action.
  • Three habits: dates and owners on every exported table; a brief note on the business assumption; a “snapshot” identifier.
  • Documenting the path of data lays the groundwork for automating without losing clarity.

When an organization makes decisions with scattered spreadsheets and undocumented business rules, the cost is not only technical: it is the inability to explain why a supplier, a lot or a route was chosen at a given moment.

What tracing means

Traceability is not about storing more files; it is being able to rebuild the chain: source data (inventory, orders, sensors, ERP), transformations (aggregations, filters, models) and the output that fed an action (purchase, reallocation, inventory adjustment).

Minimum viable practice

For teams that do not yet have an integrated platform, three habits already improve the situation: dates and owners on every exported table; a brief note on the business assumption next to the result; and a “snapshot” identifier whenever an analysis is frozen for a meeting or an audit.

three minimum habits date · owner 1 assumption note 2 snapshot id 3 exported table
minimum viable practicedates and owners on every table, a note on the assumption next to the result and a “snapshot” identifier

Closing

Documenting the path of data reduces friction with internal and external customers and lays the groundwork for automating without losing clarity. Summarized versions on other channels can link here to keep a single source of truth under your own domain.

scattered sheets a single source ? ? ? ? ? your domain summaries link here
a single source of truthsummarized versions on other channels link to the post under your own domain · illustrative
technicaldatatraceabilitydecisions

Comments

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