<Ginny, I'm really interested in your SAP conversion process and am
wondering if you are modeling your e-record series to your paper records
series.>
 Yes and No.  (good lawyer type answer 8-)) Our current schedule does
not differentiate between paper and other media, although the "old"
system allows a one-to-one correlation between a records series and an
e-record which made application easy.  So, we started by using the
retentions and groupings we use in the current ("old") system, and then
matched them up with the data groupings (called "objects") in the new
SAP system. I immediately saw that there is no one-to-one correlation
with our current retention schedule records series.  The "objects" are
combinations of data that were kept separate in the old system.  So we
developed what we call "functional data sets" that we are equating to a
"record."  These data sets may be comprised of several record series and
retentions under the current schedule.  We are applying the longest time
period (just like developing the retention value for a record series) to
the object, based on its function in SAP, and adding these "records" to
the retention schedule as series. 

For example, in the old system we had a record called the customer
account, and a record called meter readings, and a record called work
orders (that are used for water cut-offs, water turn-ons, water system
repair, water system replacement, etc.).  The customer account record
has a retention of 3 years after payment of final bill, the meter
readings have a retention of 3 years after close of fiscal year in which
read (ties in with the billing), and work orders have a retention of 5
years after work completed.  The way the program was written, it is
simple to generate a delete list of each record series and apply the
retention.

In the new system, meter readings are an integral part of the object
"business partner" as are the customer name, billing address, and
transactions.  In addition, service orders are tied to the business
partner object for cut-offs, water service begin, etc., BUT NOT for
water system repair, water system replacement, and so on.  So the object
"business partner" must have an applicable retention as its own record
series.  The service orders tied only to business partner actions must
also have an applicable retention as its own record series exclusive of
the values applied to other work orders.


Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
[log in to unmask]

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance