The Chronicle Relationship Model defines how a Chronicle Entry connects to authoritative records, Source Records, Registry Entries, other Chronicle Entries, originating systems, and preceding or following historical Occurrences.
Relationships describe connection and sequence. They do not create authority, causation, ownership, or equivalence unless those meanings are explicitly supported.
Chronicle may reference and relate external objects without absorbing their institutional authority.
A Chronicle Entry may reference authoritative Source Records or other records that establish where historical information originated.
References Derived FromA Chronicle Entry may relate to an SREG Registry Entry when the registered object, registration action, or Registry relationship is historically relevant.
References Related ToEntries may relate to one another when they preserve distinct but connected historical Occurrences.
Related To Precedes FollowsDirectional relationships may establish historical sequence where one qualifying Occurrence clearly occurs before or after another.
Precedes FollowsChronicle may identify the Suite system or external institution from which an authoritative object or historical action originated.
ReferencesOriginating System is represented through governed Entry metadata where applicable; it is not an additional Chronicle Relationship Type.
A later Chronicle Entry may supersede or materially replace the historical significance or representation of an earlier Entry while preserving both records.
Supersedes Superseded ByDirection should be explicit when the meaning changes depending on which object is the source and which is the target.
Directional relationships should not rely on display order or unstated assumptions.
Some relationships may be symmetric or intentionally broad.
Broad relationships should be used conservatively so they do not become a substitute for more precise semantics.
None of these relationships transfer authority to Chronicle over the referenced object.
A relationship does not make Chronicle authoritative for the target object.
Temporal sequence or association must not be interpreted as causation unless causation is independently established and represented by an approved relationship type.
Connecting an Entry to another record does not imply ownership, custody, control, or institutional responsibility.
Two connected records should not be treated as interchangeable merely because they reference the same Occurrence or authoritative object.
Every structured Relationship should conceptually identify:
Source Record relationships should preserve the distinction between source origin, Evidence role, and authoritative reference.
Registry Entries should remain authoritative Registry objects. Chronicle may reference them when registration itself is historically meaningful or when a Registry Entry provides an authoritative catalog relationship to the object preserved in Chronicle.
Distinct Chronicle Entries may form historical sequences without being merged. Each Entry preserves one qualifying Occurrence and retains its own identifier.
Originating System should identify where the underlying authoritative action, object, or record originated when that information is relevant.
Originating System should remain structured metadata or a governed relationship, not part of the Chronicle Entry identifier.
Supersession should be used only when a later object or Entry formally or materially replaces an earlier one for a defined institutional purpose.
Chronicle Validation confirms that:
The Relationship Model has now been exercised in production through CHR-2026-0001.
The primary Certifier authority was intentionally not duplicated as a Relationship. SC-CERT-2026-0001 is represented through Chronicle's structured authoritative-record reference and Provenance. This preserves meaning without creating redundant Relationship structure.
Relationships should make Chronicle history more understandable without making Chronicle more authoritative than it is.