What is 'Data Lineage'?

Data lineage refers specifically to the tracking of the origin and movement of data throughout its lifecycle within a system. This concept is crucial in data management and analytics as it allows organizations to understand where their data originates, how it moves across various processes and transformations, and where it resides at any given moment.

By having clear visibility into data lineage, teams can ensure data integrity and quality, comply with regulations, and troubleshoot data-related issues more effectively. This understanding enables organizations to make informed decisions based on accurate, reliable data.

The other options describe different aspects of data handling and analysis but do not capture the full essence of data lineage. For example, while visualizing data can be part of understanding its lineage, it doesn't encompass the comprehensive tracking of data movement and transformation. Similarly, a report on data usage highlights how data is utilized rather than its specific journey, and data compression techniques relate to optimizing storage rather than tracking data flow. Thus, tracking both the origin and movement of data is the defining feature of data lineage.