# Single Source of Truth

> A single source of truth (SSOT) is one authoritative data store every team references, so versions never conflict. In B2B it usually centres on the CRM.

*Canonical: https://derrick-app.com/glossary/single-source-of-truth*

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**A single source of truth (SSOT) is one authoritative, consistent data store that every team and system references, so there is no conflict between versions.** In B2B it usually centres on the CRM, with customer, account, and contact data kept clean and synchronised so sales, marketing, and finance all work from the same numbers.

Without an SSOT, the same account can show different revenue in finance, a different owner in the CRM, and a different status in a marketing tool. Teams then argue about whose numbers are right instead of acting. Building an SSOT means designating one master system, defining who owns each field, syncing other tools to it, and enforcing data hygiene so there is one record per entity. The hard part is not the initial setup but the upkeep: records decay as people change jobs and companies merge, so an SSOT depends on ongoing deduplication and enrichment to stay accurate.

## Example

A company runs sales from a CRM, marketing from a separate platform, and finance from a spreadsheet. Each counts active accounts differently, so board reports never match. They designate the CRM as the single source of truth, sync the other tools to it, assign field ownership, and schedule regular data cleanups. Reporting conflicts disappear.

## Related definitions

- [Data Enrichment](https://derrick-app.com/glossary/data-enrichment)
- [Data Hygiene](https://derrick-app.com/glossary/data-hygiene)
- [Data Cleansing](https://derrick-app.com/glossary/data-cleansing)
- [B2B Data](https://derrick-app.com/glossary/b2b-data)