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data lineage for audit

/ˈdeɪtə ˈlɪnɪɪdʒ fər ˈɔːdɪt/ - n.

1 [colloq.] A diagram that is accurate up to the join where someone exported it to a spreadsheet and emailed it.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. A traceable record of where personal data originated, how it moved, and where it now resides, for accountability.

Evidence

See also

audit trailA complete and immutable record of every action, retained for exactly thirty days, then quietly rotated out.
data subject access requestA request that, for the first time, forces the organization to find out where it actually keeps that person.
regulatory reportingThe one report whose definition of 'customer' is finally agreed, because the penalty for drift is statutory.
shadow copyThe copy that the deletion request, the lineage diagram, and the retention schedule all politely declined to know about.