Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Ken Task -
Number of replies: 5
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Had a 'client' share some additional information about user data when converting user accounts from manual/email accounts to saml2's .... entity plans to keep user data for 20 years in their Moodle.

'Client' does offer CE credits and the organization they follow for guidance recommends, for their 'blessings' (to be accredited), only 7 years.

Wow!  Just think of the changes to moodle code over 20 years!

Has anyone in Moodledum done that - retained user data for 10 or 20 years?  Same Moodle ... just marched upwards version wise from time to time.

I told the gentleman that he could make that statement about his Moodle cause in less than 5 years he is to retire ... it then becomes someone else's problem admins of the moodle are asked to provide 10 to 20 years of user data.

'spirit of sharing;, Ken

Average of ratings: -
In reply to Ken Task

Re: Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

Erm.... I can guarantee nobody has. The original release of Moodle was in 2002 wink

My question would be "why?". I think it's unlikely that Moodle will be recognisable as it is today in 20 years time. Even if it still exists as it does now. What is it about this data that he needs to keep? 

Average of ratings: -
In reply to Ken Task

Re: Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Interesting. I had the same discussion the other day, for a duration of 10 years. Concidance?

It was about archiving assessments, especially summative assessments, to comply with regulations. I argued for a Moodle-Independent format, simple document, picture, audio, video files - to avoid the uncertainty introduced by Moodle. We got stuck in on-line exams (Quizzes)!
Average of ratings: -
In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Thanks for responses.

@Howard ... yep, I agree but ...

@Visvanath ... haven't started a discussion with entity yet.  Not seen any activity by admins indicating they are actually researching how to attain that goal of all data per student up to current date.

More info/background  ....

If I re-call correctly there used to be an addon mod for student portfolio that would gen what amounted to a small mini-web site consisting of student work/participation in a course.  No longer maintained or available.   Would be useful, but for 11,000+ students and the admin responsible for providing such data?  Mucho admin.

The site had used the old certificate mod and at some point in time since moved to simplecertificate.   Old certs seem to have disappeared as the old cert didn't use the new file system - the old itself didn't make it easy to find a cert for just one user.  Site has been marched from 1.9.x to now 3.3.x.

Would think for CE credits, cert would be primary evidence ... but then again, am not an auditor nor registrar.

For them to be able to do what they propose, seems to me they would never close off a course ... it would go on for ever and ever.  But then changes to Moodle come into play ... like old certs and simplecerts.

Or, clone a course, backup becomes archive/hidden for retaining data, new course starts accepting new students when it's opened to them.   Can't gen one report then ... at least not without some serious guruish programming.

'spirit of sharing', Ken




Average of ratings: -
In reply to Ken Task

Re: Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

I find it really hard to believe that anybody *really* needs to keep materials for 20 years. In this part of the world, that's likely to trip you up with the GDPR police anyway. 

I have however met people who would *like* to keep data for perpetuity for various strange reasons - usually some sort of hoarding  thing big grin

Average of ratings: -
In reply to Howard Miller

Re: Retain User Data for 20 years!!!!

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

That's funny ... but could be true (sadly).

Well dug a little on one server ... this for the 'benefit' of others that might get the same question ...

NOPE ... Moodle won't retain 20 years with of data on users.

Not a real user name ...

from query of mdl_user table ....

username timecreated
paul    1222200993

That number above is an epoch time stamp: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 8:16:33 PM

In listing of users sorted by last access ...

paul 9 years 234 days - about 130 days short of 10 years.

from Paul's profile page:
All logs - nothing to display
OutLine Report - renders nothing but the forum for site news
Complete report - renders nothing but the forum for site news
Statistics - renders a graph with only one column 2.0 to 0 on second dot of graph
             then flat lines - ie, no usable data.
Grades Overview - informs
"You are not enrolled in, nor teaching any courses on this site."
which is true but wonder what anyone would get
Grade - shows no data

Server being used had the old certificates as well as the newer simpleCertificates installed.  In nearly every course that's the very last link in the course and not available until they have completed above activities/mods/whatever ...

In searching related certificate (old and simple) tables for paul's user ID, etc. ... nothing shows.

Without any reference to any course user was in there is no way to extract any data for the user.

Guess they are gonna have to gen reports of some sort at intervals (per month?) ... download them and store locally .. then if someone wanted a 10 year report, one would have to 'work to work' and combine what data they have into one report.

Now to get someone that admins that server to do something similar so they can 're-think'!

Yep ... agree the GDPR police might have something to say bout it ... but admins claim they have no EU users in the system.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


Average of ratings: -