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Documentation Technical documentation for the Get Information about Schools service.

Audit Table Catalogue

This page explains the audit table catalogue used to classify audit, archive and history tables for migration, retention and rationalisation decisions.

Scope

This view focuses on:

  • audit table families;
  • current-use assessment;
  • retention and migration interpretation;
  • relationships between live data, audit snapshots and archive/history tables.

It does not list every audit table as a separate diagram entity.

How To Read This Model

  • The catalogue is a control view for audit migration and retention decisions.
  • No observed activity is evidence for triage, not proof that a table can be deleted.
  • Audit tables can be active, low-activity, legacy candidates, archive/history data or redundant-parent candidates.
  • Retention decisions need business, operational, legal and data-owner confirmation.

Application-Derived Insights

  • Audit tables exist because the application and persistence model selected certain entities for snapshot auditing.
  • Not every audit table is equally active or equally useful for business investigation.
  • Some audit tables support current operational assurance, while others may only exist because older capabilities were once audited.
  • Short-term read/write activity is not enough to decide retention, because audit data may be needed rarely but still be important.
  • The catalogue should separate technical evidence from business retention decisions.
  • Tables that look unused still need review for legal, operational, support and migration requirements.
  • The application model can explain why an audit table exists, but ownership and retention policy decide what should happen to it.

Audit Catalogue View

erDiagram AuditTableCatalogue { nvarchar audit_table nvarchar audited_subject nvarchar table_family nvarchar current_use_assessment nvarchar evidence_and_rationale nvarchar migration_or_retention_question } ActiveAuditFamily { nvarchar family_name nvarchar example_tables } LowActivityAuditFamily { nvarchar family_name nvarchar example_tables } LegacyCandidateAuditFamily { nvarchar family_name nvarchar example_tables } ArchiveHistoryFamily { nvarchar family_name nvarchar example_tables } RedundantParentFamily { nvarchar family_name nvarchar example_tables } AuditTableCatalogue ||--o{ ActiveAuditFamily : classifies AuditTableCatalogue ||--o{ LowActivityAuditFamily : classifies AuditTableCatalogue ||--o{ LegacyCandidateAuditFamily : classifies AuditTableCatalogue ||--o{ ArchiveHistoryFamily : classifies AuditTableCatalogue ||--o{ RedundantParentFamily : classifies

AuditTableCatalogue

AuditTableCatalogue classifies audit, archive and history table families so they can be assessed consistently.

Business-friendly pattern:

For this audit, archive or history table,
what subject does it record,
how active is it,
and what retention or migration decision is needed?

ActiveAuditFamily

Active audit families are treated as current audit evidence unless a retention design says otherwise.

Business-friendly pattern:

For this audit family,
is it active evidence that should be preserved or migrated?

LowActivityAuditFamily

Low-activity audit families need review before migration or retirement decisions.

Business-friendly pattern:

For this low-activity audit family,
is there a business, operational or legal reason to retain it?

LegacyCandidateAuditFamily

Legacy candidate families may no longer support active business processes.

Business-friendly pattern:

For this legacy audit family,
is it still needed for business history, assurance or support?

ArchiveHistoryFamily

Archive/history families hold retained historical copies or operational history.

Business-friendly pattern:

For this archive or history family,
what historical evidence is being retained?

Reading This Diagram

This page is a classification view, not a retention schedule. It supports review and migration planning; it does not authorise deletion.