A system and method provide for a reception of data at a computer processor. The data relates to a dataset in a computer system. The computer processor calculates a weight for the dataset as a function of the data, and the processor executes an action on the dataset as a function of the weight. In an embodiment, the action is a backup of data on the computer system, and through recalculation of the weight over a period of time, the backup schedule, backup media, and other parameters are altered based on the changing weight for a dataset.