Eurostars PES

We will develop a tool and process for decommissioning and permanent preservation of data in databases undergoing decommissioning, and for capturing and preserving the principal functionalities of the database for future users. Our solution will store data together with a description of the platform that future users will need to build to restore the database to full functionality. Our solution ensures preservation of future accessibility and searchability of data long after the original hardware and software used to create it have become obsolete. Public institutions, legal systems and the financial sector are required by law to archive their databases for decades or indefinitely. Archived digital data is usually stored in SIARD (software Independent Archiving of Relational Databases) format. This captures the data but not the functionality or tools that were used to search and query it. The full practical value of a database is lost to future users. Nor does it avoid migrations or the risk of catastrophic loss or hacking. Our solution solves the problem of preserving both digital data and the functionality of the tools and systems that were used to create it.