Data Movement

Data movement lets you document where the data in a physical model originates. You bring information about your external sources into the model, so the origin of each column is recorded in one place.

In QDM, you import the tables and columns from an external source, such as a data warehouse or another model, as a data movement source. You then map the columns in your model to that source. This records source-to-target data movement directly in the model, so you can see where each column's data comes from without maintaining a separate mapping document.

Data movement records the origin of your data. It does not move or copy the data itself.

What You Work With

Data movement is made up of three related objects:

  • Data movement source: A data source object that represents an external system your data comes from, such as a data warehouse or another model.

  • Data movement tables and columns: The source tables and their columns. Together they describe the structure of the external source that feeds your model.

  • Column data source mapping: The link between a column in your model and a column in a data movement source. The mapping records where the model column's data originates.

How Data Sources Are Imported

Rather than entering the source structure by hand, you import it. can load a source from a file, a database or script, an erwin Data Source CSV, or the Mart, so you can reuse structure that already exists elsewhere. Once imported, the source's tables and columns become available to map to your model's columns.

For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Define Data Movement Sources topic.

How Data Moves Between Columns

After you map a model column to a source column, you can see how the data reaches that column by viewing its vertical lineage. Vertical lineage traces how an object has evolved across models over time, including import events, derivation from another model, and reverse engineering.

Because a data movement mapping records where a column's data comes from, that source appears in the column's vertical lineage as a DS Mapping link. This lets you trace a column's data back to its source directly from the diagram.

For more information about tracing lineage, refer to the View and Trace Lineage topic.

Why Data Movement Matters

Documenting data movement in the model helps both business and technical users:

  • Transparency: See where each column's data comes from, directly in the model.

  • Traceability: Trace a column's origin through its vertical lineage.

  • Impact analysis: Identify which model columns depend on which sources before you change a source.

  • Governance: Support compliance and audit requirements by recording where data originates.

Data movement is available for physical models. Enable data movement in the model's properties before you create sources or map columns.