Vanta’s Data Inventory brings all your privacy and data handling information into one place. It helps you understand how personal data is collected, stored, shared, and protected across your organization. This central view makes it easier for administrators and privacy teams to stay compliant with privacy regulations like GDPR and respond confidently to audits or data subject requests.

This feature is helpful for any customer using privacy frameworks in Vanta.

For more information about plan types and capabilities, see Vanta's pricing page.

A Record of Processing Activities, known as a ROPA, is required under GDPR Article 30. It outlines how your organization processes personal data. A complete ROPA includes the categories of data you collect, why you collect it, where it is stored, who it is shared with, and how long you keep it.

Vanta supports these requirements by turning ROPA tracking into an interactive and easy to maintain data inventory.

Processing activities describe the different ways your organization handles personal data.

Helpful tips for importing:

The Processing Activities tab displays the complete list of activities in your organization.

From this page, you can:

The Processors tab shows all third-party vendors that process personal data on your behalf.

You can:

Select View ROPA to see your processing activities in a traditional table layout.

You can export this view to Excel to share with auditors or regulators.

The exported ROPA includes all required GDPR Article 30 fields and reflects any updates you make in the Data Inventory.

Business owners receive reminders to review their processing activities each year. This helps ensure your information stays current as your organization grows.

Suggested screenshot:
An example of the annual review reminder banner or task assigned to a business owner.

The Data Inventory helps you locate all systems and vendors connected to a specific activity so you can respond to access, deletion, or modification requests.

To respond to a request:

You can use the Data Inventory when preparing for GDPR audits by:

Start with your vendor list and think in terms of activities. Your existing third-party vendors are the best starting point since most personal data flows through third-party systems. Instead of treating your ROPA as a spreadsheet to fill out, focus on actual business activities like "Customer Onboarding" or "Employee Background Checks" rather than just listing systems. This activity-based approach creates a more accurate picture of your data flows and makes it easier to respond to requests or audit questions.

Leverage automation and customize based on your needs. Vanta automatically prompts annual reviews and integrates with Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) to keep everything connected. Prioritize documentation based on risk—financial information and health records need more detail than public contact information. Add custom fields when you need organization-specific tracking beyond standard GDPR requirements.

If you process personal data from EU residents, GDPR requires documentation. Smaller organizations may have fewer requirements, but tracking remains an important practice.

Controllers decide how and why personal data is used. Processors act on behalf of the controller. Your organization may be both, depending on the activity.

Whenever a process changes. Vanta also provides annual reminders to keep your inventory up to date.

Yes. Although based on GDPR, the data inventory approach supports other privacy regulations, including CCPA and LGPD.