How to Inventory Records
What Records Should Be Inventoried?
All records, data, and other recorded information at the agency should be inventoried:
- Paper records
- Electronic records and data
- Audio or video
- On-premise or in the cloud
- Archival and Non-Archival records
- Essential and Non-Essential Records
How Detailed Should the Inventory Be?
Your records inventory should be only as detailed as you need it to be in order to know what you have and where it is.
Washington State Archives recommends including the following details in your records inventory:
- Location of the records
- Brief description of the records
- Date the records were created
- Number of boxes
- Number of gigabytes or terrabytes
- Disposition Authority Number (DAN)
- Archival designation
- Essential designation
- Required retention period and date the records will be eligible for destruction or transfer to Washington State Archives
- Existence of any confidential or disclosure exempt records
Inventorying Tools...
Last Updated: October 2026