# Draft a Data Retention Schedule Without Guessing Periods

> A paste-in prompt that turns your record types and legal-watch notes into a reviewable retention schedule, leaving unspecified periods blank.

## Install

Copy the content below into your project:

# Draft a Data Retention Schedule Without Guessing Periods

A paste-in prompt that turns your record types and legal-watch notes into a reviewable retention schedule, leaving unspecified periods blank.

## Start here

This is a text prompt you paste into an ordinary AI chat that accepts text. Nothing to install.

**What to paste:** two clearly labelled blocks. First, RECORD TYPES — each record or data type you hold, plus anything you already know such as where it is stored or a period someone wrote down. Second, LEGAL-WATCH NOTES — short notes, article excerpts or internal comments about retention obligations. Both blocks go below the prompt, in the same message.

**How to check the output:** the table must have one row per record type, in the fixed column order. Every period you supplied should appear word-for-word; any record type with no period must read "[BLANK - not specified]" with no number. Two sources giving different periods for the same type must be marked "conflicting" with both shown. Then read the CHECK block: it should state that blanks contain no numbers and that unspecified rows match the UNSPECIFIED ITEMS list. Anything that looks like a made-up period, regulation name or storage location means the run failed — ask again.

**Missing input:** if you paste only one block, the assistant should stop and ask for the other rather than filling gaps itself.

## What this is for

Office and compliance-adjacent staff often inherit a loose pile of record types plus scattered notes and have to assemble a retention schedule draft. This prompt organizes only what you paste and refuses to decide legal periods. It is not legal advice, not an approved schedule and not a compliance certification, and it should not be used to tell anyone to delete data, change systems or file anything.

## Permissions and limits

No tools, browsing or lookups: the assistant works only from your pasted text. It may not rename or merge record types unless you ask. It must not propose a duration for an unspecified item, and it ends by stating that a human with authority over records must review and complete every blank and conflict.

Privacy: notes about contracts, consent and customers go into a chat service, so remove names and identifiers first.

Fictional example, to show the input shape: the original prompt illustrates three rows — customer support emails, signed vendor contracts, and a marketing newsletter subscriber list — where the subscriber-list row is marked "conflicting" because two notes disagree, and the support-emails row stays "[BLANK - not specified]" with a question about the owning team. Results depend entirely on what you paste.

## FAQ

**Can I use the periods it produces directly?** No. The output is a preparation draft. Only a person with records authority can complete blanks and resolve conflicts.

**What if a note does not match any record type?** It should appear verbatim under NOTES I COULD NOT PLACE so nothing is silently dropped.

## Verification note

source reviewed; runtime not tested. Guidance reflects the supplied prompt text only; no test run or output sample was produced. Prompt text and reference are appended separately.

## Source and thanks

Original TokRepo prompt, category: office, licensed CC BY 4.0. Reference material: [ChatGPT release notes](<https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes>), reviewed 2026-10-04; external reference material retains its own rights.

## Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me assemble a first-draft data-retention schedule for internal review. You are an assistant that organizes information I provide. You are not a lawyer, and you must not decide legal retention periods or claim any period is legally required.

## What I will paste
I will provide two things, clearly labelled:
1. RECORD TYPES: a list of record or data types my organization holds. Each may include a short description, where it is stored, and any period someone already wrote down.
2. LEGAL-WATCH NOTES: short notes, article excerpts, or internal comments about retention obligations. These are context only and may be incomplete, outdated, or irrelevant.

If either section is missing or empty, stop and ask me for it before doing anything else. Do not fill gaps from your own knowledge.

## Your task
Produce a retention schedule table with one row per record type, in this exact column order:

| Record type | What it covers | Where stored (as stated) | Retention period | Period source | Status | Open questions |

Rules for each column:
- Record type and description: use only what I supplied. Do not rename or merge record types unless I explicitly ask.
- Where stored: copy only if I stated it; otherwise write "not stated".
- Retention period: if I gave a period for that record type, restate it exactly as given. If I did not, leave the cell as "[BLANK - not specified]" and do NOT propose a number, range, or guess.
- Period source: if the period came from my notes or the record list, cite which input and quote the short phrase it came from. If no period was given, write "none provided".
- Status: one of "specified", "unspecified", or "conflicting". Use "conflicting" when two supplied sources give different periods for the same record type; show both, do not pick one.
- Open questions: one concrete question a reviewer must answer to complete that row. For unspecified rows, the question should ask who owns the decision. For conflicting rows, ask which source governs. Keep to one sentence.

After the table, add three short sections:
1. UNSPECIFIED ITEMS: a plain list of record types with no period, so a reviewer can assign owners.
2. CONFLICTS AND GAPS: where my notes contradicted each other or where a note may not apply to any record type listed. Quote the note briefly.
3. NOTES I COULD NOT PLACE: any legal-watch note that does not clearly map to a record type, kept verbatim so nothing is silently dropped.

## Uncertainty and missing input
- Never invent a retention period, a legal requirement, a regulation name, or a storage location.
- If a note is ambiguous, put it in section 3 rather than forcing it into a row.
- If two notes conflict, mark the row "conflicting" and show both.
- You may not consult outside sources, browse, or look anything up. Work only from my pasted text.

## Checks before you finish
Run these on your own output and report the result as a short CHECK block:
- Every record type I listed appears exactly once.
- Every blank period cell reads "[BLANK - not specified]" and contains no number.
- Every "specified" period appears verbatim somewhere in my inputs.
- Every quote in the Period source column matches my pasted text.
- Count of unspecified rows equals the count in UNSPECIFIED ITEMS.
If any check fails, fix it and say what you changed.

## Boundaries and what this output is not
- This is a preparation draft only. It is not legal advice, not an approved schedule, and not a compliance certification.
- Do not tell me to delete data, change systems, notify anyone, or file anything.
- Do not claim the schedule is complete or compliant.
- End by stating clearly that a human with authority over records must review and complete every blank and conflict before this schedule is used.

## Fictional example of the input shape
RECORD TYPES:
- Customer support emails — inbox archive — (no period given)
- Signed vendor contracts — shared drive — 7 years per internal note
- Marketing newsletter subscriber list — CRM — (marketing note says 2 years; legal note says keep while consent active)

LEGAL-WATCH NOTES:
- Internal comment: "contracts kept 7 years per finance policy"
- Article excerpt: "consent-based contact data should be reviewed periodically"

Illustrative output shape: three rows; contracts row shows "7 years" with a quote from the internal comment and status "specified"; the subscriber-list row shows both periods and status "conflicting"; the support-emails row shows "[BLANK - not specified]" with a question about the owning team.

## Pass/fail checks tied to that example
- Pass: the support-emails period cell contains no number, because none was supplied.
- Pass: the subscriber-list row is marked "conflicting" and shows both periods rather than choosing one.
- Fail: proposing any period for support emails, or dropping the ambiguous article excerpt instead of placing it in section 3.

## References and reuse

- [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) · Reviewed 2026-10-04

Original TokRepo prompt · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Reference documents retain their own rights.

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# 在不臆测期限的前提下起草数据保留时间表

一个可直接粘贴的提示词：把你的记录类型与法规观察笔记整理成可复核的保留时间表，未给出的期限一律留空。

## 开始使用

这是一段文本提示词，粘贴到任何接受文字的普通 AI 对话中即可。无需安装任何东西。

**要粘贴什么：** 两个标注清楚的部分。第一部分是 RECORD TYPES — 你持有的每一项记录或数据类型，以及你已知的信息，比如存储位置或别人写下的期限。第二部分是 LEGAL-WATCH NOTES — 关于保留义务的简短笔记、文章摘录或内部评论。两部分都放在提示词下方、同一条消息里。

**如何检查输出：** 表格必须每个记录类型一行，列的顺序固定。你提供的每个期限都应逐字出现；没有期限的类型必须显示 "[BLANK - not specified]" 且不含任何数字。两个来源对同一类型给出不同期限时，必须标为 "conflicting" 并同时展示两者。然后看 CHECK 块：它应说明空白单元格中没有数字，且未指定行数与 UNSPECIFIED ITEMS 清单一致。若出现像是编造的期限、法规名称或存储位置，说明这次生成失败，需要重新要求。

**缺少输入：** 如果你只粘贴了一部分，助手应停下来向你索取另一部分，而不是自行补全。

## 用途说明

办公室和合规相关岗位的人常常接手一堆零散的记录类型和散落的笔记，需要整理出保留时间表初稿。这段提示词只整理你粘贴的内容，并拒绝替你决定法律期限。它不是法律建议，不是已批准的清单，也不是合规认证，不应据此让人删除数据、改动系统或提交文件。

## 权限与限制

不使用工具、不浏览、不查资料：助手只依据你粘贴的文本工作。除非你提出要求，它不得重命名或合并记录类型。对未指定的条目，它不得提出任何时长，并在结尾说明：必须有对记录有权限的人来审核并补齐所有空白和冲突。

隐私：涉及合同、同意与客户的笔记会进入对话服务，请先去除姓名和身份标识。

虚构示例，仅用于说明输入格式：原提示词示范了三行 — 客户支持邮件、已签署的供应商合同、营销订阅名单 — 其中订阅名单行因两份笔记不一致而标为 "conflicting"，客户支持邮件行则保持 "[BLANK - not specified]" 并附一个关于归属团队的问题。结果完全取决于你粘贴的内容。

## 常见问题

**它给出的期限可以直接使用吗？** 不能。输出只是准备性草稿，只有对记录有权限的人才能补齐空白、解决冲突。

**某条笔记对不上任何记录类型怎么办？** 它应逐字出现在 NOTES I COULD NOT PLACE 下，确保信息不会被静默丢弃。

## 核验说明

来源已审阅；未做运行测试。本指南仅依据所提供的提示词文本，未实际运行或生成输出样本。提示词原文与参考资料另行附上。

## 来源与致谢

TokRepo 原创提示词，类别：办公，采用 CC BY 4.0 许可。参考资料：[ChatGPT release notes](<https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes>)，审阅于 2026-10-04；外部参考资料保留其自身权利。

## 完整可复制提示词

你正在帮助我整理一份供内部审阅的数据保留时间表初稿。你是一个整理我所提供信息的助手。你不是律师，并且你绝不能决定法律保留期限，也不能声称任何期限是法律要求的。

## 我将粘贴什么
我将提供两项内容，并清楚标注：
1. RECORD TYPES：我的组织所持有的记录或数据类型清单。每一项可能包含简短描述、存储位置，以及别人已经写下的任何期限。
2. LEGAL-WATCH NOTES：关于保留义务的简短笔记、文章摘录或内部评论。这些仅为背景信息，可能不完整、过时或无关。

如果任一部分缺失或为空，请停下来向我索取，然后再做其他任何事情。不要用你自己的知识填补空白。

## 你的任务
生成一份保留时间表，每个记录类型一行，并严格采用以下列顺序：

| Record type | What it covers | Where stored (as stated) | Retention period | Period source | Status | Open questions |

每一列的规则：
- Record type 和 description：仅使用我提供的内容。除非我明确要求，否则不要重命名或合并记录类型。
- Where stored：仅在我说明时照抄；否则写 "not stated"。
- Retention period：如果我给出了该记录类型的期限，请完全按所给内容复述。如果我没有给出，请将该单元格留为 "[BLANK - not specified]"，并且不要提出数字、范围或猜测。
- Period source：如果期限来自我的笔记或记录清单，请注明来自哪项输入，并引用其来源短语。如果没有给出期限，请写 "none provided"。
- Status：取值为 "specified"、"unspecified" 或 "conflicting" 之一。当两个提供的来源对同一记录类型给出不同期限时，使用 "conflicting"；两者都要展示，不要选择其中一个。
- Open questions：审阅者必须回答的一个具体问题，以完成该行。对于未指定行，问题应询问谁拥有该决定权。对于冲突行，询问以哪个来源为准。保持在一句话以内。

表格之后，添加三个简短部分：
1. UNSPECIFIED ITEMS：没有期限的记录类型的简单清单，以便审阅者分配负责人。
2. CONFLICTS AND GAPS：我的笔记相互矛盾之处，或某条笔记可能不适用于所列任何记录类型之处。简要引用该笔记。
3. NOTES I COULD NOT PLACE：任何无法明确映射到某个记录类型的法律观察笔记，逐字保留，以便没有任何内容被静默丢弃。

## 不确定性和缺少输入
- 绝不要编造保留期限、法律要求、法规名称或存储位置。
- 如果某条笔记含糊不清，请将其放入第 3 部分，而不是强行放入某一行。
- 如果两条笔记冲突，请将该行标为 "conflicting" 并同时展示两者。
- 你不得查阅外部来源、浏览或查找任何内容。仅依据我粘贴的文本工作。

## 完成前的检查
对你自己的输出运行这些检查，并将结果报告为一个简短的 CHECK 块：
- 我列出的每个记录类型都恰好出现一次。
- 每个空白期限单元格都显示 "[BLANK - not specified]"，且不含任何数字。
- 每个 "specified" 期限都在我的输入中逐字出现。
- Period source 列中的每条引用都与我的粘贴文本一致。
- 未指定行数等于 UNSPECIFIED ITEMS 中的数量。
如果任何检查失败，请修正并说明你改了什么。

## 边界以及此输出不是什么
- 这仅是准备性草稿。它不是法律建议，不是已批准的时间表，也不是合规认证。
- 不要告诉我删除数据、更改系统、通知任何人或提交任何文件。
- 不要声称该时间表完整或合规。
- 最后明确说明：在使用该时间表之前，必须有对记录拥有权限的人审核并完成每一个空白和冲突。

## 输入格式的虚构示例
RECORD TYPES：
- 客户支持邮件 — 收件箱存档 —（未提供期限）
- 已签署的供应商合同 — 共享盘 — 内部笔记称 7 年
- 营销订阅名单 — CRM —（营销笔记称 2 年；法务笔记称在同意有效期间保留）

LEGAL-WATCH NOTES：
- 内部评论：“合同按财务政策保留 7 年”
- 文章摘录：“基于同意的联系数据应定期审查”

输出形态示例：共三行；合同行显示 "7 years"，并引用内部评论，状态为 "specified"；订阅名单行同时显示两个期限，状态为 "conflicting"；客户支持邮件行显示 "[BLANK - not specified]"，并附一个关于归属团队的问题。

## 与该示例对应的通过/失败检查
- 通过：客户支持邮件行的期限单元格不含任何数字，因为未提供期限。
- 通过：订阅名单行标为 "conflicting" 并同时显示两个期限，而不是二选一。
- 失败：为客户支持邮件提出任何期限，或者把有歧义的文章摘录丢掉而不放入第 3 部分。

## 参考资料与复用

- [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) · Reviewed 2026-10-04

TokRepo 原创提示词 · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)。参考资料保留各自原有权利。

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/draft-data-retention-schedule-without-guessing-periods-8a468f47
Author: Prompt Lab