Cross-reference tables, sometimes referred to as XREF tables, are used for tracking the lineage of data, which systems and which records from those systems contributed to consolidated records, and also for tracking versions of data.

For each source system record, Informatica MDM Hub maintains a cross-reference record that contains an identifier for the system that provided the record, the primary key value of that record in the source system, and the most recent cell values provided by that system. In case of timeline-enabled base objects, the associated XREF tables include the period start and end date values for the records. If the same column (for example, phone number) is provided by multiple source systems, the XREF table contains the value from every source system.

Each base object record has one or more cross-reference records. XREF tables are used for merge and unmerge operations, delete management (removing records that were contributed by a particular source system), and to manage versions of business entities and relationships.