Which of the following best explains the primary purpose of data lineage in governance?

• A. It reduces data storage costs
• B. It helps with traceability, quality, and regulatory compliance
• C. It eliminates the need for audits
• D. It automates data deletion

Answer: (B)

Data lineage tracks the origin of data, how it moves through systems, and how it’s transformed along the way. In governance, its main purpose is to provide traceability, support data quality, and meet regulatory requirements. When you can see where a data element came from, all the steps it experienced, and where it ends up, you can follow data from source to report, identify where issues are introduced, and understand the impact of changes. This visibility is essential for proving data provenance to regulators, auditors, and stakeholders, and it helps ensure that data handling complies with policies and controls. The other options don’t capture this core need: lineage isn’t primarily about cutting storage costs, it doesn’t eliminate the need for audits, and it doesn’t automate data deletion.