DATA FEATURE TRACKING THROUGH HIERARCHICAL NODE SETS

A data set may be represented as a hierarchical node set, comprising interrelated nodes that respectively include various data features (e.g., versions in a version-controlled software architecture.) Queries may be formulated regarding the inclusion of a particular feature in the nodes of the hierarchical data set (“does this node include this data feature?” and “what is the path of the data feature through the node set?”) Such queries may be evaluated by identifying a source node that includes the data feature, identifying candidate merge paths from the source node to the taget node, and determining whether the nodes of any candidate merge path include the data feature. The results may be presented to the user, e.g., as a visual layout of the portion of the hierarchical node set that includes the data feature or a timeline of nodes illustrating the path of the data feature over time.