[db-wg] Unreferenced person/role objects

[Apologies for duplicates]


Dear Colleagues,

The RIPE Data Protection Task Force asked the RIPE NCC to look at why so
many unreferenced person/role objects are being created.

We found that one organisation was responsible for about 80% of all 
objects that became unreferenced over the course of 2007. At the time of 
investigation, this same organisation was responsible for about 30% of 
all existing unreferenced objects in the RIPE Database.

We contacted them and they responded very quickly. They gave the RIPE 
NCC permission to delete all these unreferenced objects, and they have 
now adjusted their procedures.

Over the New Year period, when we expected the load on the RIPE Database 
to be quite low, we deleted 161062 person/role objects. You can see the 
drop in the graph here:

http://www.ripe.net/projects/dbconstat/cons-unrefpero.html

This problem was caused by deleting inetnum objects, but not deleting
the referenced person/role objects.

We would like to ask you to please check your own assignment procedures.
As customers come and go and you delete or re-assign address space, 
please delete any person/role objects that are no longer referenced.

In the long term, the RIPE NCC will implement an automatic clean-up 
process, but this may take some time to develop.

Regards
Denis Walker
Business Analyst, RIPE NCC