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Archiving

Archiving is a key component of data management. In line with GDPR requirements, organizations must clearly define what data should be archived, the purpose of archiving, and the appropriate retention periods.

The Dublin Core is a standard set of metadata elements used to describe digital and physical resources such as documents, images, videos, web pages, and datasets.

ElementDescription
TitleName of the resource
CreatorPerson or organization primarily responsible for creating the content
SubjectTopic or keywords describing the resource
DescriptionSummary, abstract, or account of the content
PublisherEntity responsible for making the resource available
ContributorOthers who contributed to the content
DateA date associated with the resource (e.g., creation or publication date)
TypeThe nature or genre of the content (e.g., text, image, dataset)
FormatThe file format, physical medium, or dimensions
IdentifierA unique reference (e.g., URL, DOI, ISBN)
SourceA related resource from which the current one is derived
LanguageLanguage of the content (e.g., “en” for English)
RelationA related resource (e.g., “isPartOf,” “hasVersion”)
CoverageThe spatial or temporal topic (e.g., place, period)
RightsInformation about rights or usage (e.g., copyright, license)

When planning data archiving, it’s essential to use formats designed for long-term preservation. You can find a list of valid archivable formats here: https://facile.cines.fr/

Not all PDF files are suitable for archiving. The PDF/A format (a specialized version of PDF) was specifically created to ensure long-term readability and compliance with archiving standards.

Different versions of PDF/A (such as PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, and PDF/A-3) offer varying levels of compatibility and features.

You can verify whether a PDF meets the PDF/A standard using this tool: https://demo.verapdf.org/