Describe the usable unit
Orders, line items, approvals and related fulfillment events. Explain whether the archive preserves the connections between records and the process they represent. File count alone does not show coverage, quality or usefulness.
Ask this before preparing a sample
Ask whether the valuable signal is a document image, structured fields or the transaction sequence linking both.
Review sensitive and restricted elements
Bank information, customer identities and negotiated commercial terms. Check the actual contents, including hidden fields, metadata, embedded files and related records. Data minimization and de-identification are separate from confirming the right to license the material.
Evidence to bring to a fit discussion
Prepare a schema or category-level description, date range, approximate volume, export format, known gaps and exclusion list. Clearly distinguish measurements from estimates. Do not upload the underlying archive simply to obtain a preliminary opinion.
Compare the proposed use
Ask whether the provider wants training examples, evaluation material, retrieval content or a simulated environment. These are different purposes and should not be bundled into vague unrestricted language. Confirm downstream recipients, duration and any right to sublicense.
Tests to agree before a sample
- Check credits, cancellations and revisions so totals are not misleading.
- Confirm how line items link to deliveries or receiving records.
- Remove bank-routing information from samples when it is outside the approved purpose.