The source field on an AnalyteAlias is a free-text label identifying the origin of the alias — for example "Pace Analytical" or "TestAmerica". It is informational: piper uses it to help users understand why an alias exists and to group aliases by lab when managing the analyte library. When multiple labs use the same alternate name, you can create one alias per source to track the full mapping history and identify which labs require name normalization on import.
Technical section
Data model, API, and internals — visible to developers.