Provenance Reference [Dido Solutions, Inc Wiki]

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====== Provenance Reference ======

[[public:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:start|Go up to Terms and Definitions]]

===== Discussion =====

A Provenance Reference associates information with applicable [[public:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:p:provenance|Provenance]] without copying the complete Provenance information into every information structure.

A Provenance Reference contains or uses sufficient information to identify and, when applicable, resolve the referenced Provenance information. This information may include:

  * A Provenance Record Identifier
  * The identifier scheme
  * The assigning authority
  * A version
  * A repository or service reference
  * Resolution information
  * An integrity value

The applicable Information Structure Definition determines which information the Provenance Reference requires.

A Provenance Reference remains distinct from Provenance. Provenance describes the entities, activities, Actors, sources, transformations, and relationships associated with the origin or processing history of information. A Provenance Reference associates another information structure with that Provenance.

A Provenance Reference also remains distinct from an [[public:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:e:evidence_reference|Evidence Reference]]. A Provenance Reference identifies information about origin and processing history. An Evidence Reference identifies Evidence supporting a claim.

The same record may contribute to both Provenance and Evidence when the applicable model explicitly assigns both functions.

===== Definition =====

> //reference that identifies and permits association with [[public:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:p:provenance|Provenance]] applicable to a specified subject//

===== Source =====

Adapted from:

  * [[https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/|W3C PROV-O: The PROV Ontology]]
    * Relevant concepts: Entity, Activity, Agent, derivation, generation, attribution, and association
    * Retrieved: 2026-10-08
  * [[https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-dm/|W3C PROV-DM: The PROV Data Model]]
    * Relevant concepts: Provenance Description, Entity, Activity, Agent, and Identifier
    * Retrieved: 2026-10-08
  * [[https://www.omg.org/spec/Commons/Identifiers|OMG Commons Identifiers Ontology]]
    * Relevant concepts and relationships: Identifier, identifies, and is identified by
    * Retrieved: 2026-10-08

This corpus defines the expression //Provenance Reference//. The referenced sources provide the underlying Provenance and Identifier concepts but do not define a concept having this exact name.

===== Note =====

  * A Provenance Reference identifies or resolves to applicable Provenance
  * A Provenance Reference is not the Provenance it references
  * More than one information structure may reference the same Provenance
  * One information structure may have more than one Provenance Reference
  * A Provenance Reference does not independently establish the truth or validity of the referenced Provenance
  * A Provenance Reference may include version and integrity information
  * A Provenance Reference does not replace an Evidence Reference
  * The platform-independent definition does not require a URI, database key, object pointer, DDS key, or programming-language reference

===== Example =====

A system derives a Valuation from market observations and an FX Contract.

The Valuation contains a Provenance Reference identifying the Provenance record that describes:

  * The source market observations
  * The Contract state used
  * The valuation method
  * The processing activity
  * The responsible system
  * The processing time

The Valuation does not need to duplicate the complete Provenance record.

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