UBC has various information systems that generate, process and/or store data about other data objects, operations, and transactions. Two classes of systems that are critical to Data Governance at UBC are System(s) of Record, and System(s) of Reference.
System of Record
A System of Record (SOR) is a data management term for an information storage system that is the authoritative system where a given data element or piece of information is created, or captured, and maintained. As a result, Systems of Record are the data source used for audit and regulatory reporting purposes.
The need to identify Systems of Record is critical in application ecosystems like UBC’s, where information systems have been built by consuming data from multiple sources and re-processed for a new business use or process. In other cases, a single data object may have attributes stored in different systems, and in order to have a complete view of that data object, the Systems of Record must be identified, and documented.
System of Reference
A System of Reference (SORef) is an authoritative system where data consumers can obtain complete, current, and accurate data about a data object (also known as ‘Golden Records’), in support of operations and or reporting, and is synonymous with ‘Trusted /Source of Truth’.
To achieve this, various Systems of Record are resolved into a System of Reference to provide data consumers with Golden Records. Therefore, a SORef can only be designated as such based on certain considerations or efforts that confirm the reliability of the data.
