Glossary
What is single source of truth?
A single source of truth is one central, agreed source for business data, so that everyone works with the same figures and definitions. In practice, this is often a data warehouse with agreed KPI definitions.
Single source of truth explained
Without a single source of truth, every department has its own export and its own spreadsheet, and the management team arrives at the meeting with three different revenue figures. The discussion is then about which figure is right, rather than what to do about it.
A single source of truth is not just technology. You need a central place, usually a data warehouse, but also agreements: who owns the definition of revenue, when are the figures final and how are changes handled. Without those agreements, variants appear anyway.
Make sure every application uses the same source: dashboards, exports, AI questions and connections to other systems. A connection that calculates on its own inside the source system is already a second truth.
Example
At Acme Groothandel, sales calculated with order amounts and finance with invoiced amounts, so revenue never matched. After agreeing that "revenue" means invoiced revenue excluding VAT, recorded in the data warehouse, every dashboard shows the same figure.
Single source of truth in ENABLE
In ENABLE, dashboards, the SQL Explorer, the Data API and the Dashboard Builder (pilot) all work on the same customer data warehouse. A published query in the Data API has a version number, so other systems use the same definition.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you create a single source of truth?
Bring the main sources together in one data warehouse and record your KPI definitions, with an owner for each one. Then have all dashboards, exports and connections read from that one source.
Is a single source of truth the same as a data warehouse?
Not quite. A data warehouse is often the technical foundation, but a single source of truth also requires agreements on definitions and ownership.
What is the difference between a single source of truth and a single version of the truth?
A single source of truth is about one central source; a single version of the truth is about one agreed outcome per concept. In practice you need both to work with the same figures.
Further reading
- SolutionSingle source of truth: one version of the truthOne central source for your business data, so every department sees the same figures.Read more
- ResourcesWhat is a data warehouse? Explained and comparedA data warehouse is a central database in which you bring together data from different source systems, such as your ERP, CRM and webshop, clean it up and organise it so that you can report on it and analyse it effectively. A source system is built to process transactions; a data warehouse is built for reading, comparing and keeping history. A data lake stores raw data in any format, and a data lakehouse combines the storage of a lake with the structure of a warehouse.Read more
- SolutionBuild a data platform: layers, choices and approachFrom sources to dashboards and AI: how a data platform is structured.Read more
- PlatformData API: expose your data warehouse via RESTPublish a query as a secure REST endpoint for other systems and apps.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
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