Traceability is not a single origin field. A useful account tells you which physical lot a record describes, what happened at each step, who recorded it and where the trail becomes uncertain.
Start with a physical identifier
Use the identifier on the container, delivery note or batch sheet, then record aliases rather than silently replacing them. Separate a material definition, such as a grade, from a particular physical lot. Record quantity and unit, site, time and the organisation responsible for the statement.
Record events, not just documents
A certificate may describe an assay at one point in time; it does not itself establish every movement or transformation. For receipt, split, blend, processing and dispatch, capture the event, the lots involved and the supporting record. GS1's traceability framework calls these critical tracking events and key data elements.
- Which lot was involved?
- What happened, where and when?
- Who reported or confirmed it?
- Which document or measurement supports the event?
Preserve breaks in the chain
When a supplier reference cannot be matched to the received lot, keep the link reported but unconfirmed. If a transformation output has an unrecorded input, show the branch as unknown. A visible gap is more useful in an investigation than an invented seamless line.
What this looks like in practice
A refinery receives ten bags under supplier lot S-41. Its weighbridge creates local receipt R-18 and records a lower net mass than the supplier declaration. The two identifiers and quantities remain linked, but neither overwrites the other.
A linked record is not proof of every upstream event. Traceability depends on the quality and scope of the participating organisations' records.
Primary references
These sources inform the general traceability or due-diligence context. The worked example and operational recommendations above are Atlas editorial guidance.