Start with one row per record category. Describe the source system, time span, responsible team, connections, and known restrictions. Keep the underlying records in your systems while preparing the inventory.
- Describe record categories, not individual customer files.
- Record gaps and unknowns alongside what is available.
- Assign an internal review role before discussing access.
Start with a specific category.
“We have five years of data” leaves an operations lead with several unanswered questions. Which team created it? Is it a current knowledge base or a dated history? Does it contain customer messages? Who can check the answers?
A useful inventory starts with a narrower row, such as “internal support runbooks, maintained by support operations.” Add the approximate date range and the system that holds them. You can prepare this description with the responsible team without moving the records.
Use the blank inventory template in a spreadsheet. It has the fields below and one empty row. Keep the completed version inside your company.
The fields to capture.
These are Origin’s suggested planning fields. They describe what exists and what needs review; they do not score eligibility.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Record category | A defined set, such as internal support runbooks |
| Workflow | The task or process the records explain |
| Source system | The system name, without a private URL |
| Date range | Approximate first and last dates |
| Volume estimate | The unit, estimate, and how it was obtained |
| Connections | Related issues, decisions, or procedures |
| Internal reviewer role | The team or role that can verify the description |
| Restrictions and exclusions | Known ownership, confidentiality, or personal-information issues |
| Open questions | Missing history, uncertain rights, or unverified counts |
Example: an internal support runbook.
Consider a hypothetical inventory row for an internal troubleshooting library. The category is “support runbooks,” the workflow is “investigating failed scheduled reports,” and the source system is the company wiki. The reviewer is the support operations lead.
The connections field might say “some procedures link to resolved engineering issues.” The open question is whether those links still work and whether the issue history contains customer content. That is more actionable than a file count alone.
Do not put ticket bodies, customer names, credentials, or private document links in this overview. Describe the record set and its constraints.
Keep estimates distinct from verified counts.
A workspace total may include archived pages, duplicates, empty templates, or records from teams outside the proposed scope. Add the counting method, such as “admin dashboard estimate” or “not yet checked.”
Use a date range that reflects retained material. A business founded ten years ago may only have two years of accessible history after a system migration. Record the gap instead of using company age as a substitute.
Describe what stays connected.
For project work, identify whether an issue connects to the discussion and the change that resolved it. GitHub documents links between issues and pull requests; this is an example of a connection worth checking in a software team’s inventory.
For documentation, distinguish a current page from a versioned record of changes. Do not assume that copying or exporting a page preserves every relationship. Check the specific system and format only when a later evaluation requires it.
Source: GitHub: About issues
Assign the next review.
Ask the system owner to confirm the description, then route unresolved restrictions to the appropriate internal reviewer. An accurate inventory can still contain material your company cannot offer.
Use the licensing requirements guide for the company profile and the diligence checklist when a proposal exists. The inventory describes the records; a licensing agreement defines what may be shared and used.
Common questions
Do we need an export to build an inventory?
No. Start with category descriptions from the responsible team and existing administrative information. An initial inventory does not require a new dataset export.
Should we include employee or customer names?
Use the responsible team or role. Keep personal details and underlying record content out of the initial overview.