Data inventory template and worked examples

Data inventory, data map or data dictionary?

A data inventory lists which record categories exist, where they live and who owns them. A data map shows how data moves between systems and teams. A data dictionary defines the fields inside one dataset; see the data dictionary template.

Organizations covered by the GDPR may also need a record of processing activities. That record is narrower: it covers personal data and the purposes for processing it (GDPR Article 30). A business data inventory can feed it, but does not replace it.

Could the records in your inventory be worth something?

Possibly. AI developers now buy company records that show real work, such as internal chat, code, support tickets and service histories. Closed startups have reportedly sold workspace archives for $10,000 to $100,000 each. Once you have listed your categories, compare them with what company data AI companies buy, by type, or run the two-minute fit check. Nothing needs to leave your systems.

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.

Check a completed row before you rely on it

The template is a preparation worksheet, not proof that records are complete or licensable. Test the first row with the responsible team before making a company-level summary.

These entries are illustrative. Mark a gap as unknown and assign the next check. Use the company-level preparation checklist to turn verified category notes into a first conversation without sending your internal inventory or records.

An inventory, a workflow map or an export?

Choose the smallest preparation step that answers your current question. An inventory describes categories; a workflow map connects the stages of one process. An export copies records and needs a separately agreed scope and review.

Use the record-map builder for a guided description, or the workflow-map guide for a process with several connected stages. Keep completed notes inside your company.

How to run your first inventory session

Choose one workflow and speak with the team responsible for it. The aim of this first pass is a useful description with visible gaps, not a complete archive. If you need to follow how a problem led to a decision and result, use the four-stage workflow map after this broader inventory.

• Name the category: for example, internal troubleshooting runbooks.
• Write the system name and approximate retained dates. Leave counts unverified unless someone has checked them.
• Describe connections to decisions or outcomes without copying private links or record contents.
• Record exclusions and assign a reviewer to each uncertainty.
• Keep the completed inventory internal. Use a short company-level overview for an initial conversation.

An illustrative software company: three categories, three reviews.

The following invented example shows how an inventory can lead to different next actions. The systems and dates are illustrations, not a customer dataset or a finding that these records can be licensed. No underlying records need to move to prepare this description.

Download the three-category review example. Assign a responsible reviewer and preserve unknowns; a useful category can still be on hold.

What fields does a data inventory include?

These are Origin’s suggested planning fields. They describe what exists and what needs review; they do not score eligibility.

A completed example for an illustrative support team.

This illustrative inventory describes a troubleshooting library for failed scheduled reports. It demonstrates the level of detail to collect internally. It is not a customer dataset or a licensing assessment.

Download the completed illustrative inventory example alongside the blank inventory. Both use the same columns. Replace the example with your own category descriptions and leave unknowns clearly identified.

A second example: an illustrative maintenance team.

A maintenance business could start with its internal diagnostic procedures, keeping customer job files outside that initial category. This example is deliberately different from the support-team example: the relationship between a revised procedure and past work orders has not been verified.

Download the illustrative maintenance inventory. It uses the same columns as the blank template. These are invented preparation notes, not an actual company, dataset or licensing result.

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.

Video transcript: one illustrative inventory row

A company data inventory starts with a description of what you have. You do not need to export customer files or connect a system to begin a conversation with Origin. In this walkthrough, we will describe one illustrative support team’s records.

Start with a specific category. Here, it is internal support runbooks. The work they explain is investigating failed scheduled reports, and the source is a company wiki. Those three details are more useful than saying that the business has years of data.

Next, describe the retained history. Our illustrative team believes it has records from January twenty twenty-three through December twenty twenty-five, but the support lead still needs to check. The volume is not yet counted. Leave that uncertainty visible instead of guessing.

Some runbooks link to resolved engineering issues. That may help explain the path from a problem to a fix. Record the connection, then note the open question: are those histories still available? In this example, customer messages and attachments are outside the proposed category.

Assign an internal reviewer. The support operations lead checks the description and identifies who needs to review restrictions. An inventory does not establish permission to license the material. An introduction, access to records, and a licensing agreement each need their own decision.

Use the blank inventory and illustrative example on Origin’s website to prepare your first row. Keep the completed worksheet inside your company. Start a conversation with company-level details. If a recipient later requests access or proposes terms, use the separate licensing review checklist. No acceptance or payment is promised.

Two public documentation checks to guide your inventory.

Method: on September 25, 2026, we compared two first-party documentation pages for record context that a team may need to describe. These were selected examples of an issue tracker and a support system, not a representative market study. No company account or private records were accessed.

GitHub describes linked issues, comments and assignment. Zendesk documents comment authors, timestamps, attachments and public versus internal comments. The preparation questions below are Origin’s interpretation of those features; the documentation does not establish what your company retains or may license.

Use the overview to start a conversation.

Once your team can describe a few categories, talk to Origin about the company and its records. The website inquiry does not ask you to upload either worksheet. Keep the completed inventory within your company until any later sharing has been separately agreed.

Common questions