Provenance

Overview

Provenance tracks the lineage and source of ownership data. It links Position Objects to source documents, extraction pipelines, and source-of-truth systems. Provenance enables verification, audit, and dispute resolution. Key elements include the terms hash and document extraction metadata.

Terms hash

The terms hash is a cryptographic hash of the governing document(s) from which position terms were extracted. It is stored in the Position Object (e.g., asset.terms_hash). Given the original document, one can recompute the hash and verify it matches, confirming the document is the source.

const crypto = require('crypto');
const fs = require('fs');

const doc = fs.readFileSync('lpa-agreement.pdf');
const hash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(doc).digest('hex');

// Compare with position.asset.terms_hash
console.log(hash === position.asset.terms_hash);

Document extraction pipeline

The extraction pipeline ingests documents (subscription agreements, side letters, cap tables, etc.) and produces structured data that populates Position Objects. Pipeline metadata—version, extraction date, confidence scores—is part of provenance. It supports traceability from raw document to canonical object.

Source of truth model

The Registry is the source of truth for ownership state. Provenance links the Registry to upstream sources: which document, which extraction run, which system. When data is disputed, provenance supports resolution by tracing back to the authoritative document.

Provenance verification

Verification recomputes hashes from source documents and compares to stored values. Mismatches indicate document drift or extraction error. Verification can be run on demand or as part of audit. Provenance verification is a key compliance and quality assurance mechanism.

Related

• Position Object — Source of provenance data
• Registry — Immutable record store