Using the records
These editable records continue the cancellation example. Each has a blank version and a completed example with the same headings. Markdown opens in an ordinary text editor; the comma-separated values (CSV) dictionary opens in a spreadsheet.
Use the fields that help your decision and map them to existing records. The examples distinguish an agreed definition, an individual case and a proposed change to the design.
Definitions and relationships
Record meaning, identity, relationships, rules and ownership. Connect fields to the business decision they serve and the representation used to store or exchange them.
- Blank definition record — Markdown
- Completed definition record — Markdown
- Blank dictionary — CSV
- Completed dictionary — CSV
Lifecycle and responsibility
Show who creates, uses, corrects, shares and retires the record. Distinguish responsibility for its definition from responsibility for an individual case. Include access, retention, correction history and affected copies.
Data change and checks
Record a proposed change, affected definitions and consumers, acceptance, conversion, checks, recovery and handover. The completed example extends the business trial with ID-D1 (Shared case register) and ID-V1 (Case meaning checks) and records the later partner question.
Processing and derived data
Define the output, inputs, transformation, freshness, corrections and recovery. Record each layer’s contents, owner, quality rules and handling of unresolved records. The completed copy includes a medallion option for the reporting example in Data at scale.
Data governance
Record decision rights, quality, access, lineage and retention across a group of information and its uses. The completed example follows a correction into a derived report, retaining the roles and checks needed to resolve it.
Diagram sources
The new diagrams are available as Mermaid text and structured JSON. They use the same relationships as the website illustrations.
Methodology configuration
Use the names familiar to your team. An entity definition may be part of a business glossary, while field rules sit in a data dictionary. A lifecycle may be described in a process model or service record. Link those descriptions so the next person can find the meaning and the rule they need.
See Methodology configuration for the shared approach.
Edition and reuse
Version 1.0 · September 2026 · © 2005–2026 Adrian Sutherland.
Refreshed for the September 2026 website update. Keep the edition note with the files and identify adaptations by their source asset, version and filename. The completed examples are fictional; proposed checks need actual results before they can support a service decision.
Read the edition note for authorship and version history.
The Portal-authored downloads use CC BY 4.0: reuse and adapt them with credit, a licence link and changes identified. The edition note records the scope and any separate notices.