---
title: "What is data lineage?"
description: "Data lineage traces an output back to the source rows, the model, and the column definition that produced it."
url: "https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage"
updated: "2026-09-29"
vertical: "Versioning"
doc: "https://docs.pixeltable.com/datastore/computed-columns"
---

# What is data lineage?

Data lineage traces an output back to the source rows, the model, and the column definition that produced it.

Updated: 2026-09-29


## On this page

- [How it works](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage#how-it-works)
- [What it is not](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage#what-it-is-not)
- [Comparison](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage#comparison)
- [Where Pixeltable fits](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage#where-pixeltable-fits)
- [Questions](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-data-lineage#questions)

## How it works {#how-it-works}


- The output column names its inputs.
- The row names the source media.
- You follow those links when you need to explain a value.

## What it is not {#what-it-is-not}

It is not an audit log of who logged in, and it is not a screenshot of a job graph.

## data lineage: this, and the thing it is confused with {#comparison}

|  | This | Not this |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Traces | Output to source and expression | User logins |
| Stored as | Dependencies and versions | A drawing |
| Question | Why is this caption here? | Who deployed last Tuesday? |

## Where Pixeltable fits {#where-pixeltable-fits}

Pixeltable lineage is the dependency graph plus table versions, so a computed value can be traced to the row and the expression.

## Questions {#questions}

### How does data lineage work? {#faq-1}

The output column names its inputs. The row names the source media. You follow those links when you need to explain a value.

### What is data lineage often confused with? {#faq-2}

It is not an audit log of who logged in, and it is not a screenshot of a job graph.

## In the blog

- [From Chaos to Structure: Organizing Production AI Projects with Pixeltable Directories](https://pixeltable.com/blog/enterprise-directory-organization-team-collaboration)
- [Audit-Ready AI: Achieving Full Lineage for Healthcare and Finance](https://pixeltable.com/blog/audit-ready-ai-compliance-lineage)
- [Agents as Data: Why the Session Log Should Be Your System of Record](https://pixeltable.com/blog/agents-as-data-session-log-system-of-record)
- [Context Graphs and Decision Traces: Building the Data Plane for Agentic AI](https://pixeltable.com/blog/context-graphs-decision-traces-agentic-ai)
- [The Hidden Data Management Crisis Killing AI Projects: Why 80% of ML Time Goes to Data Plumbing](https://pixeltable.com/blog/hidden-data-management-crisis-ai-projects)
- [Pixeltable's Time Travel: Advanced Versioning for Fearless AI Development](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-versioning-time-travel)

## Related

- [Documentation](https://docs.pixeltable.com/datastore/computed-columns)
- [Audit-Ready AI: Achieving Full Lineage for Healthcare and Finance](https://pixeltable.com/blog/audit-ready-ai-compliance-lineage)
- [The Hidden Data Management Crisis Killing AI Projects: Why 80% of ML Time Goes to Data Plumbing](https://pixeltable.com/blog/hidden-data-management-crisis-ai-projects)
- [Dependency Graph Magic: How Pixeltable Keeps Your AI Pipeline Data Consistent](https://pixeltable.com/blog/dependency-graph-magic-computed-columns)
- [Video intelligence pipeline](https://pixeltable.com/use-cases/video-content-analysis)