diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 5f4bbef..6527b6f 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
 members = [
   "crates/app",
   "crates/eval",
-  "crates/ir", 
-  "crates/prowocessing",
+  "crates/ir", "crates/prowocessing",
 ]
 resolver = "2"
 
diff --git a/crates/app/src/main.rs b/crates/app/src/main.rs
index 7780bbb..d5a260c 100644
--- a/crates/app/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/app/src/main.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ enum Commands {
     },
     Dev {
         #[command(subcommand)]
-        command: DevCommands,
+        dev_command: DevCommands,
     },
 }
 
@@ -50,9 +50,7 @@ fn main() {
             machine.feed(ir);
             machine.eval_full();
         }
-        Commands::Dev {
-            command: dev_command,
-        } => dev_command.run(),
+        Commands::Dev { dev_command } => dev_command.run(),
     }
 }
 
@@ -87,8 +85,7 @@ mod dev {
                     let pipe = PipelineBuilder::new().add(1).stringify().build();
                     println!(
                         "{:?}",
-                        pipe.run(vec![&num0.into(), &num1.into()].into())
-                            .into_inner()[0]
+                        pipe.run(vec![num0.into(), num1.into()].into()).into_inner()[0]
                     );
                 }
             }
diff --git a/crates/eval/src/lib.rs b/crates/eval/src/lib.rs
index 8687d91..c3a6c38 100644
--- a/crates/eval/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/eval/src/lib.rs
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ impl Available {
     #[must_use]
     pub fn pick(&self) -> Box<dyn Evaluator> {
         match self {
-            Self::Debug => Box::<kind::debug::Evaluator>::default(),
+            Self::Debug => Box::new(kind::debug::Evaluator::default()),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data.rs b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data.rs
index e3dd671..51ec597 100644
--- a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data.rs
+++ b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 //! Definitions of the data transfer and storage types.
 
+/// Types for element and pipeline IO
 pub mod io;
 
+/// Raw data types contained in `io`
 pub mod raw;
diff --git a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/io.rs b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/io.rs
index 59e2f28..849f955 100644
--- a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/io.rs
+++ b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/io.rs
@@ -1,19 +1,22 @@
-//! Types for element and pipeline IO
-
-use std::{borrow::ToOwned, convert::Into};
-
-use super::raw::Data;
+use super::raw::{Data, OwnedData};
 
 /// Newtype struct with borrowed types for pipeline/element inputs, so that doesn't force a move or clone
-pub struct Inputs<'a>(pub Vec<&'a Data>);
+pub struct Inputs<'a>(Vec<Data<'a>>);
 
-impl<'a> From<Vec<&'a Data>> for Inputs<'a> {
-    fn from(value: Vec<&'a Data>) -> Self {
+impl<'a> Inputs<'a> {
+    /// get inner value(s)
+    pub(crate) fn inner(&self) -> Vec<Data<'a>> {
+        self.0.clone()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> From<Vec<Data<'a>>> for Inputs<'a> {
+    fn from(value: Vec<Data<'a>>) -> Self {
         Self(value)
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a, T: Into<&'a Data>> From<T> for Inputs<'a> {
+impl<'a, T: Into<Data<'a>>> From<T> for Inputs<'a> {
     fn from(value: T) -> Self {
         Self(vec![value.into()])
     }
@@ -21,31 +24,37 @@ impl<'a, T: Into<&'a Data>> From<T> for Inputs<'a> {
 
 impl<'a> From<&'a Outputs> for Inputs<'a> {
     fn from(value: &'a Outputs) -> Self {
-        Self(value.0.iter().map(Into::into).collect())
+        Self(value.0.iter().map(std::convert::Into::into).collect())
     }
 }
 
-/// Used for pipeline/element outputs
-pub struct Outputs(Vec<Data>);
+/// Newtype struct around `OwnedData` for pipeline/element outputs
+pub struct Outputs(Vec<OwnedData>);
 
 impl Outputs {
     /// consume self and return inner value(s)
-    pub fn into_inner(self) -> Vec<Data> {
+    pub fn into_inner(self) -> Vec<OwnedData> {
         self.0
     }
 }
-impl From<Vec<Data>> for Outputs {
-    fn from(value: Vec<Data>) -> Self {
+impl From<Vec<OwnedData>> for Outputs {
+    fn from(value: Vec<OwnedData>) -> Self {
         Self(value)
     }
 }
-impl<T: Into<Data>> From<T> for Outputs {
+impl<T: Into<OwnedData>> From<T> for Outputs {
     fn from(value: T) -> Self {
         Self(vec![value.into()])
     }
 }
 impl From<Inputs<'_>> for Outputs {
     fn from(value: Inputs) -> Self {
-        Self(value.0.into_iter().map(ToOwned::to_owned).collect())
+        Self(
+            value
+                .0
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(|i: Data<'_>| Data::to_owned_data(&i))
+                .collect(),
+        )
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/raw.rs b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/raw.rs
index 502bb91..e028474 100644
--- a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/raw.rs
+++ b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/data/raw.rs
@@ -1,20 +1,58 @@
-//! Dynamic data storage and transfer types for use in [`io`]
+//! Dynamic data storage and transfer types
 
-// Dynamic data type
+/// Owned data type, for use mostly in outputs and storage
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
-pub enum Data {
+pub enum OwnedData {
     String(String),
     Int(i32),
 }
 
-impl From<String> for Data {
+impl From<String> for OwnedData {
     fn from(value: String) -> Self {
         Self::String(value)
     }
 }
 
-impl From<i32> for Data {
+impl From<i32> for OwnedData {
     fn from(value: i32) -> Self {
         Self::Int(value)
     }
 }
+
+/// Unowned data type, for inputs into runner functions
+#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
+pub enum Data<'a> {
+    String(&'a str),
+    Int(i32),
+}
+
+impl Data<'_> {
+    /// converts itself to `OwnedData`
+    pub fn to_owned_data(&self) -> OwnedData {
+        match self {
+            Data::String(s) => (*s).to_owned().into(),
+            Data::Int(i) => (*i).into(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> From<&'a str> for Data<'a> {
+    fn from(value: &'a str) -> Self {
+        Self::String(value)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<i32> for Data<'_> {
+    fn from(value: i32) -> Self {
+        Self::Int(value)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> From<&'a OwnedData> for Data<'a> {
+    fn from(value: &'a OwnedData) -> Self {
+        match value {
+            OwnedData::String(s) => Data::String(s),
+            OwnedData::Int(i) => Data::Int(*i),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/num.rs b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/num.rs
index 1a0a701..0b2a295 100644
--- a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/num.rs
+++ b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/num.rs
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ pub struct Add(pub i32);
 impl PipelineElement for Add {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::Int(i0), Data::Int(i1), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::Int(i0), Data::Int(i1), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                (i0 + i1).into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            (i0 + i1).into()
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -34,10 +35,11 @@ pub struct Subtract(pub i32);
 impl PipelineElement for Subtract {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::Int(i0), Data::Int(i1), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::Int(i0), Data::Int(i1), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                (i0 + i1).into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            (i0 + i1).into()
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -54,10 +56,11 @@ pub struct Stringify;
 impl PipelineElement for Stringify {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::Int(int), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::Int(int), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                int.to_string().into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            int.to_string().into()
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/str.rs b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/str.rs
index 01fd25a..38fe992 100644
--- a/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/str.rs
+++ b/crates/prowocessing/src/experimental/trait_based/ops/str.rs
@@ -12,10 +12,11 @@ pub struct Concatenate(pub String);
 impl PipelineElement for Concatenate {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::String(s0), Data::String(s1), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::String(s0), Data::String(s1), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                format!("{s0}{s1}").into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            format!("{s0}{s1}").into()
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -32,10 +33,11 @@ pub struct Upper;
 impl PipelineElement for Upper {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::String(s), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::String(s), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                s.to_uppercase().into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            s.to_uppercase().into()
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -52,10 +54,11 @@ pub struct Lower;
 impl PipelineElement for Lower {
     fn runner(&self) -> fn(&Inputs) -> Outputs {
         |input| {
-            let [Data::String(s), ..] = input.0[..] else {
+            if let [Data::String(s), ..] = input.inner()[..] {
+                s.to_lowercase().into()
+            } else {
                 panic!("Invalid data passed")
-            };
-            s.to_lowercase().into()
+            }
         }
     }