Dwight,

To be sure I am still noodling this one. This is where I se things now. As a
result of SOX the trend is towards capturing the record of the transaction
as it occurs and simultaneous to it entering a database or ERP. The record
is then used to validate against the database enduring proper reporting etc.
This will satisfy audit and any SEC rule that might apply as well as give
the CFO a better nights sleep. A dilemma might occur when the record is
scheduled out and properly disposed of from the records system. In the
electronic records world the most current version is the record copy. The
database record then becomes the record copy. Records Managers stating that
it is not a record is going to have little impact. The fact remains that the
information exists, might be corrupted, and is admissible in court because
we did not dispose of it properly. That we did not maintain record integrity
in the database environment will not help credibility. IMHO it would only
aid the opposition. However if we were able separate the micro from macro,
essentially removing in a systematic way the record integrity, we might
survive. The problem is not the ability to do this, it is the perceived or
real need to do it and the willingness to shoot the ROI out a lot further.

Chris Flynn

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