The Data Vault Handbook - Concepts and Applications

In the Data Vault model, no business object exists in isolation; instead, all business objects are interconnected through the operational processes that involve these objects. Links are used to model these relationships, typically connecting two or more Hubs to reflect how business operations bring these objects together. It’s important to note that Links do not capture timelines or the temporality of relationships, as these aspects are considered expressions of context, which is beyond the primary purpose of Links. Instead, Links focus on the structural representation of relationships, providing a foundation for understanding the connections between business keys without getting into their temporal states.

LINK STRUCTURE

— Hash Key: The primary key for the Link, generated by hashing the combination of the Hub references (foreign business keys), ensuring unique identification of the relationship

— Load Date TS: A timestamp indicating when the relationship was loaded into the data platform

— Record Source: Identifies the originating system or application, providing traceability and ensuring data lineage

— Hub Reference 1 to n: Foreign keys that reference the related Hubs, representing the connected business keys and defining the relationship between them