Standard Database Documentation Framework Expected by Auditors

SQLInfo · Data Governance Lead Magnet

8 sections to fill out before your next ISO 27001 or GDPR audit, so you won’t have to improvise database answers on D-Day.

Valid ISO/IEC 27001 certificates worldwide surged from 48,671 in 2023 to 96,709 in 2024—nearly doubling in a single year. As more companies get audited, more compliance managers must produce database documentation that no one had ever formalized before. Source: ISO Survey 2024 (IAF CertSearch data), published in October 2025.

The 8 sections of your template

For every database under your responsibility, an ISO 27001 auditor or GDPR authority might ask a variation of these 8 questions. The template covers them in the exact order they are typically requested.

Object Inventory tables · views · procedures

Prepare a complete inventory of what actually exists in each database, not just what happens to be documented in a SharePoint, wiki, or internal folder.

Sample Question Can you show me the full list of tables in this database, including those created by developers outside the standard procedure?

Data Dictionary column · type · description

Every column named, typed, and explained in business language. This is the section most frequently missing, and the one that takes the most time to reconstruct retroactively.

Sample Question What exactly does the field “status_2” in the clients table mean, and who documented it?

Sensitive Data Classification GDPR · health · financial

Which columns contain personal, health, financial, or industry-regulated data—database by database and field by field.

Sample Question How do you identify columns containing personal data before a developer copies them into another environment?

Relationships & Dependencies foreign keys · joins

How tables and databases interconnect, so you can anticipate the domino effect of any schema change.

Sample Question If this table is modified, which downstream reports or applications will be impacted?

Dataset Ownership named data owner

Without a designated owner, true governance cannot be established or proven.

Sample Question Who is responsible for the quality and access management of this database?

Access Control Matrix role · table · permission level

Who can read, write, or administer each database, and on what grounds that access was granted.

Sample Question Why does this service account have write access to the payroll table?

Schema Change Log date · author · modification

The history of structural changes: added columns, removed tables, type alterations.

Sample Question When was this column added, by whom, and was the documentation updated (and when)?

Backup & Recovery Procedures frequency · test · duration

Backup frequency, the last successfully tested restoration, and actual recovery time objectives.

Sample Question When was the last time you tested a full restoration of this database, and how long did it take?

8 sections make up the template from table inventory to backup procedures

4 different DBMS on average PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server… each with its own access and encryption rules

1 designated owner per database an individual, never an entire team, and never unassigned

Need to move faster than manual entry?

SQLInfo automatically documents these 8 sections directly from your PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server databases—without ever exporting your data outside your infrastructure.

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