Architecture Documentation for Data Architects

Use ERD diagrams with navigation and linting, data lineage tracking, schema definitions, and data lifecycle blocks for complete data architecture documentation.

January 23, 2026

Data architects focus on data models, governance, and compliance. Content Foundry provides specialised blocks that support these needs with structured, auditable documentation.

Key Blocks for Data Architects

Schema Definition

Live data model documentation with field types and validation

Data Lifecycle

Data governance and compliance documentation

Diagram (ERD)

Visual data models with entity relationships

NFR

Data quality, performance, and retention requirements

Constraint

Data residency, format, and integration constraints

Schema Definition Block

Embed live schema documentation:

Data Lifecycle Block

Document the journey of data entities:

Data Lifecycle Examples

Data Type	Lifecycle Stages
Customer Data	Creation, Usage, Archival, Deletion
Transaction Data	Capture, Process, Store, Audit, Purge
Log Data	Generate, Collect, Index, Retain, Archive
PII Data	Consent, Collect, Protect, Right-to-Forget
Analytics Data	Raw, Transform, Aggregate, Report, Archive

ERD Diagrams

The diagram editor provides powerful ERD capabilities:

Table Navigation

Click any table to navigate directly to it, even in complex diagrams

Human-Readable Relationships

Every relationship includes plain-language descriptions so non-technical stakeholders understand how tables connect

Built-in Linter

Validates your ERD for issues like missing keys, orphaned tables, and relationship problems

Cardinality Indicators

Clear one-to-many, many-to-many relationship markers

Domain Colour Coding

Organise tables by business domain

Schema Lineage

Map schema fields to their database sources:

ERD Lineage Examples

The following schemas demonstrate ERD lineage, where each field traces back to database tables and columns:

Lineage Override Examples

When schemas inherit from a base schema, they can override lineage for inherited fields. These path parameter schemas extend a generic IdPathParam and override the Id field lineage:

Graph Database Navigation

For graph database models, the editor provides:

Node Navigation

Click through nodes to explore relationships

Relationship Traversal

Follow edges to understand data connections

Force-Directed Layout

Automatic positioning for clarity

Graph Lineage Examples

The following healthcare schemas demonstrate lineage to graph database nodes. Each field traces back to a node and property in the healthcare domain model:

Notice how the EncounterId field in Diagnosis and Prescription references the Encounter node, showing relationships across the graph.

Data NFRs

Document measurable data requirements:

Category	Examples
Data Quality	Accuracy, completeness, consistency targets
Performance	Query response times, throughput
Retention	How long data must be kept
Availability	Data access uptime requirements

Data Constraints

Document data-related constraints: