E-Discovery and Litigation Data
Collection and Processing
Targeted collection applies criteria such as custodian, date range, folder, or file type at the point of collection, reducing volume before processing. It preserves metadata for collected items while excluding material outside scope.
It contrasts with full forensic imaging.
Alternative Names:
Scoped Collection, Selective Collection
Why it Matters?
Targeting is the single largest cost lever in e-discovery, because every gigabyte collected must be processed, hosted, and reviewed. Reducing volume at collection is far cheaper than culling later. The tradeoff is defensibility, since criteria applied at collection cannot be revisited without returning to the source, which may no longer be available. Documenting the criteria and their rationale is what makes the approach defensible.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why collect selectively rather than everything?
What is the risk of targeting?
