Trace notebook
DESCRIBED | Data Exhaust
By Jonathan Malchow Vega
https://dataexhaust.org/tools/
Version 1.1 | 19 October 2026

FICTIONAL WORKED EXAMPLE. Not a client case study.

Start with a claim, identify its source, and separate observations from assumptions. Ask another person to follow the source reference.

Record or item
Supplier register export, row 42

Where it came from
Fictional supplier system; export reference EX-12

Who created or changed it
Coordinator exported it; original editor unknown

Date and version
12 October, illustrative export

What it appears to show
The exported status value reads approved

What remains unknown
Who approved it, on what date, and using which criteria

Retention or access concern
Keep the source in a restricted folder; share its reference, not personal details

Use: You may adapt this worksheet for personal or internal organizational work. Keep the author and source credit on blank copies shared internally. You retain your entries. Public redistribution or resale of blank templates requires permission.