File discipline.
WHAT ACCUMULATES
Exports Working copies Versions Final outputs
WHAT GOES WRONG
Nobody knows which file is current Analysis cannot be reproduced Sensitive exports scattered across devices
WHAT TO DO
A folder per analysis or per period Raw exports kept separately and unmodified A clear naming convention including dates One current version, clearly marked
WHAT TO NAME FILES
Subject, period, and date.
Not "final" or "v2 updated".
WHAT TO KEEP
The raw data The working file The output
WHAT TO DELETE
Intermediate versions once finished Exports containing personal data, once no longer needed
WHAT TO BACK UP
The analysis you would not want to redo.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT
Where the data came from and what you did to it.
WHY
So next month takes an hour rather than a day.
WHAT TO AVOID
Analysis existing only on one person's laptop.
