# Data & System Inventory Introduction

### Background

Open Data -- sharing internal data with the public -- is an important product of any modern government. It increases transparency, accountability, streamlines processes, and can drive innovation. For these reasons, San Francisco approved the [Open Data Policy](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-13982) in 2009 to drive the publication of government data. This allows the public and city employees to access valuable information easily and at no cost.

Part of this policy was the requirement to create an [**inventory of all datasets**](https://data.sfgov.org/City-Management-and-Ethics/Dataset-inventory/y8fp-fbf5/about_data) and [**enterprise data systems**](https://data.sfgov.org/City-Management-and-Ethics/Inventory-of-citywide-enterprise-systems-of-record/ebux-gcnq/about_data) across the city and assess which should be shared with the public. 

### Goals of the Inventory

There are two main goals of the inventory:

1. Keep track of all [Enterprise Data Systems](/data-inventory-process/appendix/what-is-a-enterprise-data-system.md) across the City and County of San Francisco
2. Identify valuable datasets - either for internal use or for public consumption - and make a plan to share them with the appropriate groups

### Summary & Next Steps

1. **Summary:** We recommend reading the "[Summary](/data-inventory-process/summary.md)" section first to get an overview of the process and what you need to do. 
2. **First time doing the inventory:** If your department has not done an inventory before, please see "[Starting your data inventory](/data-inventory-process/starting-your-data-inventory.md)." 
3. **If you have an existing inventory:** Go directly to "[Updating your existing data inventory](/data-inventory-process/how-to-update-your-inventory.md)."

Happy Inventorying!

{% hint style="info" %}
If you have any questions about the inventory process please reach out to <datasf@sfgov.org> and cc <support@datasf.org>
{% endhint %}


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