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# Authoritative Source

> The source whose value for a given attribute is accepted as correct because it is closest to the process that creates the information and is accountable for maintaining it.

## Definition

The source accepted as correct for a specific attribute or domain, because it sits closest to the
business process that creates the information and because a named party is accountable for keeping
it accurate. Authority is granted deliberately, and it is bounded to the scope in which that
source is genuinely competent.

## Expanded Explanation

Three properties make a source authoritative rather than merely convenient. It is proximate: the
value is created there as a by-product of real work, such as design release, laboratory testing or
supplier declaration, rather than typed in as a copy. It is accountable: a role owns the value and
can be asked to justify it. It is controlled: changes follow a defined process that leaves a record.

Authority is therefore attribute-level in most organisations. A supplier portal may be authoritative
for a declared recycled content percentage, while being an unreliable source for the commercial
description of the same product. A laboratory system may be authoritative for a chemical test result
and irrelevant for packaging dimensions. The unit of designation is the attribute or the domain, not
the system as a whole.

The concept is closely related to a system of record but is not identical to it. A system of record
is the designated system; an authoritative source may also be an organisation, a supplier, a
laboratory or a document issued by a notified body. Every system of record is authoritative within
its scope, but not every authoritative source is a system inside the enterprise.

## Why It Matters

Digital Product Passport data is published to regulators, market surveillance authorities and
consumers who cannot inspect internal systems. When a published value is challenged, the defence is
not that the value existed in a database; it is that the value came from the source competent to
produce it, maintained by an accountable owner, under a controlled change process. Recording
authority per attribute is what makes that defence possible.

## Common Misconceptions

#### The newest value is the authoritative one

Timeliness and authority are separate properties. A recently edited value from an unaccountable
source is weaker evidence than an older value from the system designated to produce it.

#### Authority applies to whole systems

Systems are rarely authoritative for everything they store. Granting authority attribute by
attribute produces a far more accurate map of where trustworthy data actually originates.

## Related Terms

* [System of Record](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/system-of-record)
* [Source of Truth](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/source-of-truth)
* [Golden Record](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/golden-record)
* [Product Data Governance](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-governance)
* [Product Data Stewardship](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-stewardship)

## Related Knowledge Base Articles

* [What is a System of Record?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-a-system-of-record)
* [What is Product Data Governance?](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/what-is-product-data-governance)
* [How to Build a Trusted Product Data Foundation](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/how-to-build-a-trusted-product-data-foundation)

## Related Articles

* [Product Data Governance](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-governance)
* [Product Data Stewardship](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-stewardship)
* [Source of Truth](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/source-of-truth)
* [System of Record](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/system-of-record)
* [Golden Record](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/golden-record)
* [Product Data Quality](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-quality)
* [Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-architecture)
* [Master Data Management](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/master-data-management)

## See Also

* [Enterprise Systems and Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview)
* [Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview)

## References

* Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Official Journal of the European Union:
  [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj)
* ISO 8000, data quality: [https://www.iso.org/standard/81745.html](https://www.iso.org/standard/81745.html)

## About This Article

About This Article

<dl>
  <dt>
    Last Reviewed
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2026-08-09
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Next Scheduled Review
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2027-08-09
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Article Version
  </dt>

  <dd>
    1.0
  </dd>
</dl>

tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product
Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are
reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve.

## Related Docs

* [Enterprise Systems and Data Architecture](/docs/knowledge-base/enterprise-systems-and-data-architecture/overview)
* [Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview)
* [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview)
* [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview)