How is the security and integrity of data protected through backups, archiving and integrity processes?
Data security and integrity processes, including backups, archiving, and methods of keeping data accurate and consistent.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Computer Science Unit 1 content on data security and integrity, covering the difference between backups and archiving, full and incremental backups, why data integrity matters, and the processes (such as validation, verification and access control) used to keep data accurate, consistent and safe.
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What this topic is asking
WJEC wants you to know the processes that protect the security and integrity of data: backups, archiving, and methods of keeping data accurate and consistent. This is part of the Organisation and structure of data content in Unit 1 of WJEC GCSE Computer Science (3500).
Security and integrity
Backups
Archiving
Maintaining integrity
Try this
Q1. State one reason an organisation makes regular backups. [1 mark]
- Cue. So data can be restored if the original is lost, damaged or corrupted (for example by failure or ransomware).
Q2. State what data integrity means. [1 mark]
- Cue. That data is accurate, complete and consistent, and has not been corrupted or changed in error.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC-style Unit 14 marksExplain the difference between a backup and an archive, and state one reason an organisation would do each.Show worked answer →
A Unit 1 data-security question. A backup is a copy of current, in-use data kept so it can be restored if the original is lost, damaged or corrupted; the original stays in use (1 mark for the definition, 1 mark for the reason, for example to recover from hardware failure or ransomware). An archive is the long-term storage of data that is no longer in regular use but must be kept, which is moved out of the main system to free space and is retrieved only occasionally (1 mark for the definition, 1 mark for the reason, for example to meet legal record-keeping requirements). Markers reward "copy of current data for restore" versus "old data moved to long-term storage", with a sensible reason for each. A common error is to treat backup and archive as the same thing.
WJEC-style Unit 13 marksExplain what is meant by data integrity and describe one process used to maintain it.Show worked answer →
A Unit 1 explain question. Data integrity means data is accurate, complete and consistent, and has not been changed or corrupted in error (1 mark). One process to maintain it is validation, which checks entered data is sensible and follows rules (such as a range check) so that obviously wrong data is rejected at input (1 mark); other valid processes are verification (checking data was entered correctly) or access control (only authorised users can change data, reducing accidental or malicious changes) (1 mark for a correctly described process). Markers reward accurate/consistent/uncorrupted for integrity and a correctly described maintaining process. A common error is to describe data integrity as keeping data secret, which is confidentiality, not integrity.
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