Structured Data

Information organized in a predefined format, typically in databases with rows, columns, and clear data types, making it easily searchable and analyzable. Common structured data examples include: SQL databases, spreadsheets, CSV files, and form responses. In privacy contexts, structured data is often easier to manage for compliance purposes because its organization facilitates: locating specific individuals' data for access requests, implementing automated deletion for retention compliance, extracting data for portability requests, applying access controls, and conducting data mapping exercises. However, structured data presents risks if not properly secured—its organization makes it attractive targets for breaches, and unauthorized access can rapidly expose many individuals' information. Organizations should: implement database security controls, encrypt sensitive structured data, maintain access logs, establish backup and recovery procedures, document database schemas for compliance purposes, and implement query monitoring to detect unusual access patterns. The rise of unstructured data (documents, images, videos) has complicated privacy compliance, but structured data in databases remains a compliance foundation.