Data governance - Concept
System of record
The official place where the trusted version of particular information is kept
What's it for?
Settles which system holds the official version of a particular piece of information.
For example…
The staff system is the trusted source for everyone's job title
HR is the system of record for whether someone is an active employee, even though payroll and identity systems keep their own copies of that status
Think of it like…
The land registry for who owns a house — other lists may exist, but one is authoritative