In this episode of The Data Journey, Roland Brown unveils how end-to-end lineage acts as the x-ray of modern data architecture—revealing data’s complete story from origin to outcome.
Building on Episodes 6 and 31, he connects lineage, observability, and metadata into a single control plane that turns governance from reactive to predictive.
Roland introduces the Rule of 30 / 60 / 90, a derived heuristic inspired by agile and DevOps frameworks, that helps teams implement lineage in manageable phases:
30 days for visibility, 60 for precision, 90 for meaning.
He then explores a realistic scenario where lineage exposes a silent schema change, preventing days of confusion and saving executive trust.
Lineage is more than documentation—it is diagnosis, resilience, and transparency in action.
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### 5 Key Takeaways
1️⃣ Lineage is the x-ray that turns invisible data movement into visible insight.
2️⃣ Together with observability and metadata, it forms the enterprise control plane.
3️⃣ The Rule of 30 / 60 / 90 offers a structured yet flexible roadmap for implementation.
4️⃣ Operationalise lineage in change management, release gates, and runbooks.
5️⃣ Visibility is the foundation of trust—without it, governance is guesswork.
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### Attribution Note
The “30 / 60 / 90 Rule” described in this episode is not a formal industry framework but a practical synthesis inspired by agile delivery, DevOps milestones, and metadata maturity models. It serves as an applied heuristic for phased enablement rather than a published standard.
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