A computer system and method for verifying a data lineage of a data element is provided. The system comprises at least processor and a memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the method. The method comprises extracting data transformation code from programming logic, extracting and describing data transformation semantics from the code using a data transformation ontology, filtering out non-business-significant transformations, and determining that remaining business-significant transformations match a business ontology.