Seller field guide · 3 min read
What belongs in a company data inventory for licensing?
Start with the work your company performs, then map the systems and records that explain it. For each candidate dataset, document ownership, usable coverage, restrictions and linked context. A useful inventory lets a buyer assess fit without requiring an unreviewed copy of the underlying data.
Organize the inventory around a workflow
Handshake’s program describes interest in how organizations operate. An inventory should therefore explain a process such as handling a support escalation or approving a supplier, rather than merely listing the company’s software subscriptions.
Give each candidate a plain-language description of the task, decisions and recorded outcomes. Then map which systems contain those pieces. A ticket system might hold the outcome, chat the escalation and a knowledge base the procedure that guided the action. Those relationships matter when defining a useful scope.
Source notes: Handshake: employer data partnerships
Record enough detail to expose the unknowns
The suggested fields below are a starting point for internal review. Use known, unknown and excluded deliberately. An empty permission field is an unresolved question, not an implied approval. Keep personally identifying or confidential examples out of the inventory shared externally.
Assign a named internal owner to each row. That person should be able to explain the records and obtain the right review, even if a different executive has authority to sign. Store the detailed rights evidence in controlled company files and reference it from the inventory.
| Inventory field | What to record | Example of a useful answer |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Task and observable outcome | Support escalation from diagnosis to confirmed fix |
| Systems | Source and linked context | Ticket platform, internal chat and procedure wiki |
| Coverage | Usable periods and known gaps | Continuous recent history; earlier comments missing |
| Rights | Owner, restrictions and review status | Company-owned process notes; client files excluded |
| Preparation | Available route and unresolved work | Small export tested; attachment review pending |
| Approval | Internal owner and final authority | Support lead coordinates; authorized officer approves |
Source notes: NIST: Privacy Framework
Use the inventory to choose a small next step
micro1 describes identifying licensable datasets during discovery. A concise inventory supports that discussion by showing the scope and its limitations before delivery. It should not claim that a dataset qualifies merely because a system appears on a buyer’s website.
Rank candidates by clarity of rights, completeness of context and preparation effort. Begin with a workflow that can be explained and sampled safely. Keep uncertain datasets in the register for further review rather than hiding their gaps or merging them into the strongest candidate.
Source notes: micro1: operational data partnerships and process
Illustrative scenario · fictional company
A fictional operations team finds a better starting point
Elm Distribution initially lists its CRM, email and ERP as three assets. A workflow inventory reveals a more coherent candidate: handling shipment exceptions, where an internal note links the issue to an approval and outcome. The team records the relevant systems, excluded customer fields and remaining contract questions in one row. It sends a description for initial fit review, while keeping the source records internal until the scope is approved.
When to pause or narrow the scope
Client work and customer files are excluded from this starting scope. Assess company-owned internal records separately from personnel, health, privileged or NDA-restricted material.
- No one can identify who owns or can authorize a candidate dataset.
- The inventory describes software tools but no interpretable workflow.
- The company would need to expose restricted records just to explain initial fit.
Your preparation checklist
- Name the workflow and the decision it records.
- Map source systems and cross-record relationships.
- Record usable coverage and known gaps.
- Mark ownership, restrictions and review status explicitly.
- Choose one permitted candidate for a small, documented evaluation step.
Start with a description of the records. The quote form does not ask you to upload a dataset.
Discuss your dataSources and further reading
- Handshake: employer data partnerships · Checked October 31, 2026
- NIST: Privacy Framework · Checked October 26, 2026
- micro1: operational data partnerships and process · Checked October 26, 2026
This is general information, not legal advice or confirmation that a buyer will accept your records. Published buyer ranges describe their programs, not an offer for your dataset. Buyers may pay QuoteMyData when a deal closes; see how we are paid.
