9. Evidence Model

Evidence used to evaluate DACS controls shall contain every evidence element required by each applicable control. It shall be retrievable by an authorized evaluator and bound to the stated decision scope. DACS does not prescribe where that evidence must be stored. Evidence may be implemented in catalogs, metadata repositories, relational systems, graph systems, governance platforms, workflow systems, semantic platforms, spreadsheets during early adoption, operational stores, warehouses, marts, lakes, lakehouses, observability tools, or other technologies.

All DACS evidence records used for a normative result shall preserve the exact DACS Specification/control-set version, record version, authority, effective period, and Integrity Evidence where required by CORE-020. Retests and remediation create new linked evaluation events under CORE-022; they do not overwrite prior outcomes. Lawful deletion or minimization is governed by CORE-024.

Required DACS metadata may be held in a governed record linked to the original source artifact. The link shall identify the exact artifact and preserve its integrity and version or effective period. This does not require alteration of an original third-party document, API payload, or source record.

A Conformance Record shall include, at minimum:

• DACS Specification version and applicable profile/control-set versions;
• decision-scope identifier and version;
• applicable profiles and the independently established profile-applicability determination;
• control IDs and control results;
• required evidence references;
• Gate ID or Gate Record reference;
• readiness state;
• responsible authority, steward, or approved rule reference;
• timestamp or effective period;
• exception or constraint record where applicable;
• Materiality Rule, Applicability Rule, and Equivalence Rule references where used;
• Readiness Validity Condition for each referenced Proceed or Caution Gate readiness state;
• review condition or review date; and
• reconstruction reference for the decision path.

9.1 Minimum Gate Record Payload (Normative)

Each completed Gate Record shall contain the minimum fields below and every additional field required by its applicable controls. An Applicability Rule may leave a conditional field empty only when the field does not apply and the reason is recorded. It shall not waive an unconditional field required by an applicable control.

For a high-frequency or sub-second path, Gate logic and the readiness determination shall complete synchronously before action. Delayed durable storage is permitted only through a complete Buffered Gate Capture with a stable Gate identifier, a link to the execution trace, and a declared maximum persistence interval. The interval begins at the recorded pre-action capture time.

The pre-action capture records results for controls actually evaluated before action. It separately identifies required execution or persistence follow-up evaluations. It shall not report those later evaluations as Pass before their evidence exists. This procedure creates no provisional or fourth control result and does not establish full scope conformance before all mandatory evaluations are complete.

Verify durable persistence when it completes or when the declared interval expires. Completion within the interval may satisfy the persistence criterion. An incomplete pre-action capture or expiration without durable persistence causes CORE-014, CORE-015, and affected execution controls to Fail as applicable. In either case, the buffer is not a valid completed Gate Record.

Record a missed deadline as a new linked failure event, apply the runtime failure policy, and block further affected material reliance unless a valid pre-authorized degraded mode permits the exact bounded action under CORE-017. Preserve the original capture and determination. Reassess affected readiness and record remediation without retroactively rewriting the original event.

• Gate identifier and Gate version where versioned;
• DACS Specification version and applicable profile/control-set versions;
• decision-scope identifier and version;
• evaluated control IDs and their Pass, Fail, or Not Applicable results;
• required evidence references for the evaluated controls;
• responsible authority or approved automated rule reference;
• timestamp or effective period;
• resulting Gate readiness state: Proceed, Caution, Stop, or Quarantined;
• constraint or approved exception reference where applicable;
• Readiness Validity Condition for Proceed or Caution;
• review condition or next required Gate; and
• reconstruction reference linking the Gate Record to the decision path.

9.2 Example Readiness Signals (Informative)

The DACS Defensibility Scorecard does not calculate a composite DACS score, percentage rating, grade, or probability of defensibility. It reports recorded DACS determinations, inspectable findings, and defined operating measurements for a stated decision scope. The DACS Defensibility Scorecard and Measurement Guide defines measurement populations, evidence, exclusions, and interpretation. Descriptive counts shall identify the complete applicable population and justify exclusions and any denominator. Present those counts with the actual scope-conformance determination and Gate state.

Readiness signal	Observable evidence
Relationship readiness	Approved relationship type, permitted orientation, assertion provenance, vector criteria result, constraint disposition, conflict resolution where needed, and Gate readiness state.
AI context readiness	Binding AI Context Contract test result for each material input, output, generated term, inferred relationship, drift test, action, or contract violation.
Gate readiness	Recorded state of Proceed, Caution, Stop, or Quarantined for each applicable control group or material path.
Evidence readiness	Conformance Record includes control ID, result, evidence reference, authority or rule, timestamp, and readiness state.
Quarantine visibility	Each discovered, inferred, generated, imported, retrieved, or available item not approved for stated use has Quarantined state, reason, owner or review authority, and next Gate/remediation action.