The rule that was never read
An analyst at Bluebell Library is asked for a list of members and their favourite books. She emails it to a local newspaper. The library has a written rule against it. She had never read the policy.
Knowing the rules is not enough. An analyst must read them, understand them and use them.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Personal data | Information about a living person who can be identified. |
| Policy | A written rule that an organisation sets for its staff. |
| Guideline | Advice on good practice. It is not always a strict rule. |
| Procedure | The steps to follow to do a task the right way. |
| Interpret | To work out what a rule means in your situation. |
| Apply | To use a rule on real work. |
| Retention | How long data is kept before it is deleted. |
| Export | To copy data out of a system into a file. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can find the business rules for handling data, work out what they mean, and apply them to a piece of work.
Starter: last lesson
Have a go
Starter: last lesson
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Step 1: identify the rules
Start with what your organisation already wrote. Look for the data policy, the retention schedule and any procedures for your task. Ask who owns each one.
A policy says what must happen. A guideline advises. A procedure gives the steps.
Worked example: the Bluebell Library rules
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| R1 | Never email names or addresses of members. Keep them inside the library system. |
| R2 | Reports for the public show counts only. Hide any group smaller than 5. |
| R3 | Delete a loan record 12 months after the book is returned. |
| R4 | Only staff with the "reports" role may export data. |
| R5 | Under-13 members need a parent's consent form on file. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: which rule?
Have a go
Check: which rule?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.