Lineage

Lineage answers "where does this value come from?" for an object as it is now: the dataset row a projection imported, the action or write that edited it, or the telemetry point that set it. Nothing extra is stored; Sixb assembles it when you ask.

Explain an object

import { Customer } from "./ontology/customer"

const lineage = await sixb.objects(Customer).lineage("42")

It returns null when the caller cannot read the object. Each source is described once in sources; existence and every property point at one by its key:

{
  existence: { source: "projection:customers" },
  sources: {
    "projection:customers": {
      kind: "projection",
      projectionId: "customers",
      projectionRunId: "prj_run_12",
      datasetVersion: { datasetId: "crm.customers", versionId: "ducklake:84" },
      rowOrigins: [{ datasetId: "raw.crm.contacts", column: "active" }],
    },
    "commit:cmt_91": {
      kind: "edit",
      commitId: "cmt_91",
      committedAt: "2026-10-30T09:12:44.120Z",
      requestedBy: { type: "user", id: "usr_alice" },
      action: { actionId: "rename-customer", runId: "run_7" },
    },
    identity: { kind: "identity" },
  },
  properties: {
    id: { source: "identity" },
    email: {
      source: "projection:customers",
      column: "email",
      origins: [{ datasetId: "raw.crm.contacts", column: "mail" }],
    },
    name: {
      source: "commit:cmt_91",
      replaced: { source: "projection:customers", column: "name", value: "ACME" },
    },
  },
  restricted: 0,
}

`kind`	The value comes from	It names
`projection`	a projection's source row	the projection, its run, the dataset version applied, and the columns that decide its rows
`edit`	an action or a direct write	the commit, when and for whom it ran, and the action run
`telemetry`	the latest telemetry point	the commit that appended it
`identity`	the primary key	nothing more

A property also gives the value it won over (replaced), the times compared under mostRecent (resolution), and removed: true when its source cleared it. origins are the upstream dataset columns its values come from. The columns that decide which rows exist (filters, join keys, everything a code step reads) concern every value, so the projection source lists them once, as rowOrigins.

Explain a link

const lineage = await sixb.objects(Customer).linkLineage({
  sourceId: "42",
  linkId: "owner",
  targetTypeId: "User",
  targetId: "usr_7",
})

existence cites the projection and the columns it reads the link from, or the edit that set it.

Walk a dataset version upstream

const upstream = await sixb.datasets.lineage(customers, { versionId: "ducklake:84", depth: 5 })

It returns the version and the versions it was computed from, nearest first, as nodes with their producer and edges between them. versionId defaults to the latest version; depth goes from 1 to 20 and defaults to 5. truncated says the walk stopped at depth or at 100 versions.

What the caller sees

Each step is checked on its own. A step the caller cannot view is left out, without saying what it was, and counted in restricted.
A property the caller is not cleared for is not explained. See Markings.
A dataset version, its columns, origins and rowOrigins need a view grant on that dataset; a projection, sync or pipeline run shows to whoever may view those runs; an action run to whoever may view it.
A shared link sees no lineage.

Limits