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Course 89 · Digital course 14

Organize Data and Protect Records

Make records easier to find and maintain while controlling changes and protecting private information.

Before you start

Prepare a notebook or existing editor for a schema and README.

See everything you’ll need
What you’ll leave with

A clear system for organizing records, tracking changes, and sharing only what each person needs.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload the practice worksheetUse the downloadable worksheet or toolkit alongside the lesson instructions.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners age 14 and older, including adults exploring technical work or strengthening school and community projects. No employment or university enrollment is needed.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Prepare a notebook or existing editor for a schema and README.
  • Use the supplied invented equipment records; no personal files are required.
  • Perform sharing and disposal decisions as paper simulations rather than changing real permissions or deleting data.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

Assemble the fictional equipment register and its operating README from all six lessons.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Define the record schema, sample rows and quality checks.
  • Document filenames, version history and the approved release.
  • Justify retained fields and create a purpose-specific export.
  • Specify role-based access with review and removal triggers.
  • Provide a retention review schedule, hold checks and tested handoff.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Meaning: fields and row definitions support consistent interpretation.
  • Traceability: accepted changes and the current release are identifiable.
  • Proportionality: data and access match stated purposes.
  • Continuity: lifecycle decisions and handoff questions are answerable.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Define before collecting

Agree on the record’s purpose and structure before adding fields.

02

Keep changes explainable

Preserve the evidence behind approved revisions.

03

Assign lifecycle responsibility

Name who reviews access, retention and disposal decisions.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Schema
The defined structure and rules for a dataset.
Data dictionary
A guide to field meanings, units and allowed values.
Minimization
Keeping information limited to what a defined purpose needs.
Version history
A record of changes across successive states of a file.
Retention review
A checkpoint for deciding continued keeping or authorized disposal.
Preservation hold
An instruction suspending ordinary disposal of relevant records.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Define the record and its fields

    Design a small schema with clear units and validation rules.

  2. 2
    26 min

    Name files and control changes

    Create a naming convention and a traceable revision history.

  3. 3
    22 min

    Collect only what the purpose needs

    Remove unnecessary fields while preserving enough information for the task.

  4. 4
    24 min

    Match access to a real task

    Create a role-based sharing decision and review access expiration.

  5. 5
    26 min

    Plan retention and authorized disposal

    Build a record schedule with an owner, trigger and hold check.

  6. 6
    31 min

    Hand off a trustworthy record package

    Assemble the schema, history, permissions and lifecycle decisions into a usable README.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

MIT Libraries — Organize Your Files
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-10

Read file naming, sorting, folder hierarchy and README guidance. The public page states CC BY-NC for its own content; no source text or templates are copied here.

Access: Free public reading; no account or certificate is required for this Life Starter course.

Reuse: Linked for reference. Examples, activities and assessments here are original; free access alone does not grant permission to reuse source text or branding.

Information Commissioner’s Office — Data Minimisation
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-10

Read purpose-based adequacy, relevance and minimization guidance. UK-specific legal context is identified; the course teaches a practical design principle, not jurisdiction-wide legal advice.

Access: Free public reading; no account or certificate is required for this Life Starter course.

Reuse: Linked for reference. Examples, activities and assessments here are original; free access alone does not grant permission to reuse source text or branding.

National Archives — Inventory, Scheduling and Disposition of Federal Records
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-10

Opened the federal records guide and its inventory/scheduling/approval sequence. Its rules concern U.S. federal agencies; all course retention periods are explicitly fictional exercise policies.

Access: Free public reading; no account or certificate is required for this Life Starter course.

Reuse: Linked for reference. Examples, activities and assessments here are original; free access alone does not grant permission to reuse source text or branding.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one