# ROPA: Quickstart Guide (/docs/data-inventory/data-reports/quickstart)

## RoPA overview [#ropa-overview]

**RoPA** in Transcend lets you generate, edit, version, and export audit‑ready **Records of Processing Activities (RoPAs)** directly from your Processing Activities table, in line with GDPR Article 30 and similar regulations. It’s accessed as **“RoPA”** under the **Data Inventory** navigation in the Admin Dashboard. RoPA is built on top of your **Processing Activities** and other inventory data so that your reports stay consistent with your live Data Inventory while still allowing tailored, point‑in‑time exports for regulators, auditors, and internal stakeholders.

### Key capabilities [#key-capabilities]

- **Automated RoPA generation** based on the Processing Activities table, so you don’t have to manually assemble reports from multiple tables or exports.
- **Document and table views** that let you see each processing activity as a formatted “card” or as a tabular report, including per‑row details.
- **Versioning and history** so you can iteratively update RoPAs, autosave minor changes, manually snapshot important versions, and review or restore prior versions when needed.
- **Customizable cover sheet (general information)** for organization‑wide details (e.g., controller/processor info, DPO contact, representative details) that appear at the top of exports.
- **Export to PDF and CSV**, producing an audit‑ready RoPA that matches your chosen layout and includes your cover sheet and all selected processing activities.
- **Re‑sync from Processing Activities** so you can refresh a RoPA against the latest inventory, while preserving manually edited fields where desired.

## Getting started [#getting-started]

### Accessing RoPA [#accessing-ropa]

1. In the Admin Dashboard, go to **Data Inventory → RoPA**.
2. You’ll see a **RoPA list** showing existing RoPA reports (if any currently exist), including their names and basic metadata (e.g., created/updated dates, owner).

![RoPA Main Table showing "edit" and "history" buttons](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-ropa-main-table.png)

From here you can:

- Open an existing RoPA
- Create a new RoPA
- View version history for a specific RoPA
- Update metadata for each report.

### Creating a new RoPA [#creating-a-new-ropa]

When you create a new RoPA, you’re taking a **point‑in‑time snapshot** of one or more processing activities and formatting them into a regulator‑ready report.

#### 1. Start from the Processing Activities table [#1-start-from-the-processing-activities-table]

1. Click **+ New RoPA** in the RoPA list view.
2. Here you can provide metadata to recognize the report: 
   - **RoPA name** – e.g., “Article 30 – Controller RoPA 2025”
   - **Description** – optional internal description of the report’s scope or intended audience

These values become part of the RoPA’s versioned metadata.

#### 2. Filter the processing activities for the report [#2-filter-the-processing-activities-for-the-report]

1. You’ll see a **Processing Activities‑based table** where each row is a processing activity drawn from your Processing Activities table.

![RoPA create new RoPA Modal, select Processing Activities screen](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-new-report.png)

Here you can:

- **Filter** processing activities by title/description or other filters available in the Processing Activities table.
- **Show/hide columns** to control which fields will be included in the RoPA (e.g., data subjects, purposes, categories of data, recipients, transfers, retention, legal basis).

![RoPA Report, new report modal, filtered for "Storage Region = EU" ](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-new-report-filtered.png)

The processing activities and columns selected at this step determine the content of the RoPA.

#### 3. Configure the cover sheet (general information) [#3-configure-the-cover-sheet-general-information]

After selecting processing activities, configure the **cover sheet** fields that will appear at the top of your RoPA export, such as:

- **Company information** (name, website, description, role as controller/processor/joint controller, address)
- **Contact details**
- **Data Protection Officer**
- **Representative**

Users can:

- Add/edit **field definitions** (name and type: short text, long text, multi‑select, etc.).
- Fill in **values** for the current RoPA (these values are saved in the RoPA version).
- **Preview** the coversheet to make sure it aligns with expectations.

![RoPA Coversheet, Edit Values screen](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-ropa-coversheet-enter-values.png)

### Editing RoPA content [#editing-ropa-content]

After creation, the RoPA opens into its main views.

#### Document view [#document-view]

**Document view** lets you see each processing activity in a card‑style document layout:

- Each processing activity is rendered as its own “document section” with a header and grouped fields (e.g., metadata & classification, ownership & responsibilities, recipients, transfers).

This view is optimized for **reading and export**, not for changing your underlying Processing Activities table.

![RoPA Document Preview Screen](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-doc-preview.png)

#### Table View (RoPA table) [#table-view-ropa-table]

The **RoPA table view** shows the same data in a tabular format:

- Each row is a processing activity included in the RoPA.
- Each column corresponds to a configured field (pulled from the Processing Activities table and/or RoPA‑specific fields).

From here you can:

- **Edit cell values** (within the RoPA) for last‑mile corrections or clarifications, without changing the underlying Processing Activities table.
- **Add or remove rows** (if enabled) to narrow or expand which activities are in the RoPA snapshot.
- **Hide/show columns** for reporting‑only use cases.

![RoPA Report, table view](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-report-table.png)

<Callout type="info" title="Changes in a RoPA report table do not update processing activities in the inventory">
  Edits in the RoPA do **not** automatically overwrite your Processing Activities table; they are part of the RoPA’s versioned snapshot unless you explicitly re‑sync from Processing Activities.
</Callout>

### Versioning and History [#versioning-and-history]

RoPA V2 maintains a **version history** per RoPA so you can track changes and reference earlier states.

Key behaviors:

- A **new version** is created every 25 edits, 30 minutes have passed since last snapshot & if a different user makes a change. Some examples that count as "edits":
  - Updates to report‑level metadata (title, owners, description).
  - Edits to cover sheet (general information) fields.
  - Edits to row/cell values or layout and save manually or hit a snapshot event (e.g., explicit “Save version”).&#x20;

![RoPA History Modal open, showing updates](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-history.png)

From the RoPA list or detail view you can:

- **View history** – see all versions, their timestamps, creators, and notes.
- **Open a specific version** – view what the RoPA looked like at that time.

### Reprocessing from Processing Activities [#reprocessing-from-processing-activities]

Because RoPAs are built from the **Processing Activities table**, you can **re‑sync** or **recreate** a RoPA when your inventory changes (e.g., new activities, updated categories, new recipients).Typical behavior:

- When you click **Re‑sync**:
  - Updated processing activities from the Processing Activities table are pulled in where they match the original selection logic.
  - You can choose whether to **overwrite** previously edited values or preserve manual edits.
  - Deleted processing activities are typically dropped from the RoPA snapshot unless configured otherwise.
- When you click **Recreate**:
  - New procssing activities from the Processing Activities table that match the filters of the RoPA at added to the report

Re‑sync and recreate operations create **new versions** so you retain a full audit trail of past RoPAs.

![RopA report resync modal, showing a warning before resyncing ](/images/sanity/2025-12-29-ropa-resync-modal.png)

### Exporting RoPA [#exporting-ropa]

#### Export to PDF [#export-to-pdf]

- From the RoPA view, click **Export**.
- The PDF export includes:
  - Cover sheet (general information)
  - All included processing activities, rendered in document form
  - Visual separators or headers so it’s clear where one processing activity ends and the next begins.

This is intended to be **regulator‑ready** and shareable with auditors or DPAs.

#### Export to CSV (coming soon) [#export-to-csv-coming-soon]

- From the RoPA view, click **Export → CSV**.
- The CSV contains:
  - One row per processing activity
  - One column per selected field (as configured in the RoPA table)

This is useful for further analysis, internal reporting, or transformation into downstream tools.

## Best Practices [#best-practices]

- **Keep Processing Activities authoritative**: model your activities thoroughly there first; RoPA should primarily be a formatted and point‑in‑time projection of that data.
- **Use re‑sync to keep RoPAs evergreen**: when your inventory changes meaningfully (new systems, new activities, new regions), re‑sync and snapshot again to maintain an “evergreen” RoPA while retaining historical copies.

## FAQ [#faq]

**Is RoPA V2 different from the old Data Reports approach?**
Yes. Previously, RoPAs were assembled via **Data Reports** over generic inventory tables; RoPA V2 uses a dedicated **Processing Activities** table and a purpose‑built RoPA experience with versioning, cover sheets, and document‑style exports.

**Does editing a RoPA change my underlying Processing Activities?**
No. Edits inside a RoPA are part of that RoPA’s **versioned snapshot**. To change your inventory, update the Processing Activities table directly, then re‑sync your RoPA.

**Can a single organization have multiple RoPAs?**
Yes. For example, you might maintain separate RoPAs for different entities (controller vs processor), regions, business units, or regulatory templates (GDPR Art. 30, DORA, CNIL, etc.).This draft now consistently uses **RoPA** as the product and UI name, aligning with the current navigation and experience, while still reflecting the underlying RoPA V2 capabilities.