Preserve the data

How many times do individuals work on an excel file or word document and not press "save" every five minutes or so only to lose all the data because of an unforeseen power outage?
What happened to the documents that were required to be saved for a minimum of 6 years to comply with record keeping purposes? How and where are these documents saved?

Instead of requiring banker boxes for storing printed hardcopy shipment invoices and documents, the ability to comply with record keeping requirements has become that much easier through cloud computing and other IT tools available to importers and exporters.

Of course there are certain standards to be met when saving documents in methods other than printed hardcopies and to adhere to those standards is not such a difficult task.

However, are these record keeping repositories backed-up? Is there a way to ensure that the data and documents can be saved to multiple locations so that if one on-line repository becomes corrupt or inaccessible then the documents are still able to be extracted if and when requested?

Basically, it is important to ensure that there are multiple places to keep documents to ensure the longevity of the files until such time that they are requested or that timelines have passed and the documents are no longer legally required to be kept.

It is very similar to how salt and oil preserve specific types of food. If one enjoys raw fish, in sushi for example, then you may want to try this next recipe.

Gravlax is cured salmon that gets its origin from the Nordic countries. Can be enjoyed on Russian black-bread with mustard sauce or on crackers along with onions that are marinated with the salmon (see recipe below).

The key to this recipe is that once the salmon is cured with salt for three days and then marinated with onions in vegetable oil, the dish will not stale or go bad for about two weeks (kept refrigerated). Of course, two weeks is a much shorter time period than the record keeping requirements of six years but in this case the salt and oil act as a back up to ensure that the Gravlax can be stored and enjoyed over a period of time. Similarly, backing up documents and saving in various places ensures that the documents and data will be available if an when required.

Gravlax
- 2 fillets of Atlantic salmon (skin off)
- table and kosher salt
- vegetable oil
- onions
- 2 small jalapeno peppers (if desired)

Cover the bottom of a large pan (or container) with kosher salt. About 750 grams of salt
Lay the salmon fillets on top of the salt in the large pan. The pan should be big enough so that it can hold the entire fillet flat without having to bend or fold the salmon.
Completely cover the salmon with table salt. Each fillet will need between 500 grams to 1 kg of salt depending on how large the fillet is.
Cover
Place in fridge for 48 to 72 hours.
After the 2 to 3 days have passed, remove the fillets from the salt and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
Cut up the salmon fillets into small rectangular pieces (about 2 cm x 1 cm with each piece being about 0.5 cm thick).
Thinly slice the onions and separate the onion slices.
In sealable containers, place a layer of onions then a layer of the sliced salmon pieces. Continue until the container is almost full.
(If you like spicy foods and a bit of a "kick", dice the two jalapeno peppers and add to the layering process.)
Pour the vegetable oil until the salmon and onions are covered.
Cover the container and place in the fridge for 48 to 72 hours.
I like to serve this as an appetizer with salted or unsalted crackers.

(A nice mustard dressing sauce recipe can be reviewed at:
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/250851/dill-mustard-sauce/ )

Preserving data is similar to preserving food. A corporation needs to ensure that the data does not disappear or "go bad" before timelines allow for the data to be purged.

Keep food fresh and not spoiled
Back-up data to ensure that it is available when required.

Enjoy the Gravlax!






Thank you to YJK (you know who you are) for providing the inspiration for this week's Blog.
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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