# Tabs in the Data Inventory (/docs/data-inventory/tabs-in-the-data-inventory)

## Understand the Data Inventory [#understand-the-data-inventory]

The Data Inventory brings together everything you need to document how personal data flows across your organization. Each tab surfaces a focused slice of information—systems, datapoints, classifications, and the business context that explains why the data exists. Working across the tabs gives you a complete, navigable map of your privacy footprint.

### Quick tab reference [#quick-tab-reference]

- <GlossaryTerm id="data-system-data-inventory">data system</GlossaryTerm> – Inventory the data systems where personal data lives.
- <GlossaryTerm id="datapoint">datapoint</GlossaryTerm> – Explore all objects and properties captured across those systems.
- <GlossaryTerm id="data-category">data category</GlossaryTerm> – Understand what types of personal data you maintain.
- <GlossaryTerm id="purpose-of-processing">purpose of processing</GlossaryTerm> – Document why data is collected and how it is used.
- <GlossaryTerm id="vendor">vendor</GlossaryTerm> – Track the third parties that provide services and process your data.
- <GlossaryTerm id="business-entity">business entity</GlossaryTerm> – Organize data assets by internal brands, regions, or subsidiaries.
- <GlossaryTerm id="processing-activity">processing activity</GlossaryTerm> – Map the business processes that rely on your data.

Use the tabs together: for example, opening a data system shows the datapoints it contains, while a data category quickly filters to the datapoints where that classification is applied.

### Data Systems tab [#data-systems-tab]

Use the Data Systems tab to curate the authoritative list of systems that store or process personal data and stay aligned with what appears in Integrations.

![Data Inventory Data Systems](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-data-inventory-data-systems-tab.png)

- **Title** – Displays the system name and logo. Systems added here appear across Transcend, including Integrations.
- **Owner** – Identifies the teammate accountable for the system. Update owners here to keep downstream workflows current.
- **Datapoints** – Shows how many datapoints are mapped to the system. Select the count to open those records in the Datapoints tab.
- **Data Subjects** – Highlights which groups of individuals have data in the system (for example, Customers or Employees).
- **Data Categories & Purposes** – Summaries of how the data in this system is classified and why it is processed.
- **Description** – Summarizes the system’s role; pre-populated for common tools but fully editable.
- **Add Data System** – Use this action to register new tools or databases as your data footprint evolves.
- **Data Systems Found** - Triage the systems you have discovered via [System Discovery](../system-discovery/index.mdx).

### Datapoints tab [#datapoints-tab]

The Datapoints tab is the source of truth for every object, table, or field that contains personal data. Review the datapoints discovered across your structured systems, update classifications, and confirm whether a datapoint participates in a Data Subject Request (DSR) workflow.

![Data Inventory Datapoints](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-data-inventory-datapoints-tab.png)

- **Data System** – The parent system where the datapoint or property resides.
- **Vendor** – The external organization that provides the system. Transcend’s catalog auto-suggests vendor metadata such as headquarters location and privacy policy.
- **Business Entity** – The internal brand, business unit, or subsidiary responsible for the data.
- **Object / Property** – The core data object (such as a database table) and its individual fields.
- **Data Category** – The classification describing what type of personal data is present (for example, _Financial | Credit Card Number_). Defaults are provided, and you can tailor them to your taxonomy.
- **Purposes of Processing** – Explains why the data is collected or used (for example, _Marketing_ or _Customer Support_). Add or adjust purposes directly from this view as programs evolve.
- **Description** – Context on how the data is used, editable to reflect your specific implementation.

Adding classifications or purposes to individual properties in this tab rolls those values up to the parent datapoint record, the connected data system, and any associated vendors, business entities, and processing activities.

<Callout type="info">
  Accelerate discovery by running [Classification scans](../classification/quickstart.mdx), which automatically surface datapoints and suggested classifications for review.
</Callout>

### Data Categories tab [#data-categories-tab]

The Data Categories tab aggregates every category applied across your datapoints so you can confirm that sensitive or regulated data is properly managed. Transcend provides a library of categories (for example, _Financial_) and subcategories (for example, _Credit Card Number_) that you can customize. Parent categories are fixed, while subcategories can be created under the parent categories. Selecting a category's datapoints drills into the datapoints that contain it, making it easy to review coverage or stakeholders for that type of data.

![Data Inventory Data Categories](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-data-inventory-data-categories-tab.png)

#### Parent categories vs. sub categories [#parent-categories-vs-sub-categories]

Transcend organizes data categories using two levels:

- **Parent category** — A standard classification such as _Financial_, _Contact_, or _Personal Identifier_. Parent categories are part of Transcend's built-in taxonomy and **cannot be created, deleted or renamed** in the Admin Dashboard.
- **Sub category** — A specific type of personal data within a parent category, such as _Credit Card Number_ under _Financial_. You can add custom data categories to match your organization's taxonomy.

In the Data Inventory, a full classification appears as **Parent Category | Sub Category** (for example, _Financial | Credit Card Number_).

#### Add a custom data category [#add-a-custom-data-category]

To create a new data category under an existing parent category:

1. In the Admin Dashboard, go to **Data Inventory** → **Data Categories**.
2. Click **Add Data Category**.
3. In the modal, select a **Parent Category** that best fits the data you are classifying.
4. Enter a **Name** and optional **Description** for your new data category.
5. Click **Add Data Category**.

Your new data category is available across the Data Inventory, including when classifying datapoints.

![Adding a Data Category](/images/sanity/app.transcend.io_data-map_data-inventory_data-categories-transcend-docs-standard-image-size-1.png)

### Purposes of Processing tab [#purposes-of-processing-tab]

This view provides a similar rollup for processing purposes. Use it to confirm regulatory obligations (such as lawful basis), add new purposes as your programs expand, and review which datapoints support a given business objective. Clicking a purpose's datapoints filters the Datapoints tab to the relevant records.

![Data Inventory Purposes Of Processing](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-data-inventory-purposes-of-processing-tab.png)

### Vendors tab [#vendors-tab]

The Vendors tab tracks the third parties and platforms that handle your personal data so you can maintain a comprehensive view of your processors. Each row represents a vendor, aggregating:

- Linked data systems and their datapoints.
- Suggested metadata from Transcend’s catalog, including headquarters location, description, and vendor privacy policy URL.
- Processing purposes and data categories connected to the vendor’s services.

Maintain this view to streamline vendor assessments and to keep contracts, privacy reviews, and data maps aligned.

![Data Inventory Vendors](/images/sanity/2026-04-20-data-inventory-vendors-tab.png)

### Business Entities tab [#business-entities-tab]

Use the Business Entities tab to slice your inventory by internal structure. Upload and manage business and legal entities, then associate data systems and datapoints with them so reporting, governance, and downstream obligations reflect how your organization actually operates. Filtering by a business entity in other tabs instantly narrows them to the relevant assets.

![Data Inventory Business Entities](/images/screenshot/2025-11-04-data-inventory-business-entities.png)

### Processing Activities tab [#processing-activities-tab]

Processing Activities link the operational reasons you handle personal data to the systems, datapoints, categories, and purposes that support each activity. This tab helps you document regulatory requirements such as Records of Processing Activities (RoPA) and provides a single place to:

- Describe the business process (for example, _Customer lifecycle marketing_).
- Identify the lawful basis and retention considerations.
- Review which systems and datapoints participate in the activity.
- Confirm the data categories, purposes, and business entities implicated.

Keeping this tab up to date ensures you can explain the “why” behind any data asset during audits or privacy reviews.

![Data Inventory Processing Activities](/images/screenshot/2025-11-04-data-inventory-processing-activities.png)

## How inheritance works [#how-inheritance-works]

Updates you make in one tab often surface on others. Use the table below to see how fields propagate across the inventory and where downstream views are read-only rollups.

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>
        Asset
      </th>

      <th>
        Inherited fields
      </th>
    </tr>
  </thead>

  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>
        Data systems
      </td>

      <td>
        - Categories of personal data (including sensitive categories) from datapoints
        - Processing activities from datapoints
        - Processing purposes from datapoints
        - Controllerships from datapoints
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        Data categories
      </td>

      <td>
        - Vendor headquarters from vendors (read-only)
        - Data system regions from data systems (read-only)
        - Datapoint retention schedules from datapoints (read-only)
        - Categories of recipients from data systems (read-only)
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        Purposes of processing
      </td>

      <td>
        - Business entities via data systems (read-only)
        - Data subjects from data systems (read-only)
        - Regions from data systems (read-only)
        - Vendor headquarters from vendors (read-only)
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        Vendors
      </td>

      <td>
        - Categories of personal data from data systems (read-only)
        - Purposes for processing from data systems (read-only)
        - Controllerships from data systems (read-only)
        - Data system hosted regions from data systems (read-only)
        - Categories of recipients from data systems (read-only)
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        Business entities
      </td>

      <td>
        - Categories of personal data from data systems (read-only)
        - Purposes for processing from data systems (read-only)
        - Vendors (read-only)
        - Data systems (read-only)
        - Categories of recipients from data systems (read-only)
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        Processing activities
      </td>

      <td>
        - Data systems from datapoints
        - Categories of personal data from data systems and datapoints
        - Controllerships from data systems and datapoints
        - Vendors from data systems and datapoints (read-only)
        - Business entities from vendors, data systems, and datapoints (read-only)
        - Datapoints (read-only)
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

## Related resources [#related-resources]

- Looking for event-level change history? The **Audit Trail** now lives under Data Asset Intelligence—see the [Audit Trail guide](../security/audit-trail.mdx) for details.
- Need to manage person-level identifiers? Review the [Identifiers overview](../overview/concepts.mdx#identifiers).
- Configuring data subject types? Use the [Data Subjects guide](../dsr-automation/configuring-requests/data-subject-requests.mdx#data-subjects).