>
>Chris,
>Would you elaborate a bit on your statement "In the electronic
>world, the most recent version is the record (the shortest distance between
>two points may not be a straight line)."  I'm not sure I agree with you, 
>but
>I'm also not sure how you are making this conclusion.

Mary,

Euchlidian Geometry (at least when I was in the 9th grade) said that the 
staightest distance bewtween two points was a straight line. when I was a 
Sophmore I took physics. Non-Euchlidian geometry says someithing to the 
effect that the shortest distance beween two points may not be a sraight 
line. It is nice t see someone else on the list that is interested in uantum 
physics. I think I should have stuck with with it (shut up Bill and and 
Peter I heard that). So in short it has been accepted for quite a while that 
the shortest distance between tow points is a straight line.


>
>I understand that a database is always being updated - that is why we
>capture "records" throughout the process.  However master data files may 
>fit
>with your explanation and we are trying to determine how much history is
>necessary to meet the informational needs of the transactional records.

weel I suppose there might be several reasons to capture records throughtout 
a process. The best one would be to document the process so as to ensure 
record integrity. Once the process is proven and the record stored that 
should be it until the retention period is realized or the technology 
shifts.

Last time I hear Bill gates talk about it, he said all hsistuff awsa going 
to be backward compatible. So if you believe Bill then you are alright. Of 
course Bill ran the show then. Now other folks run the show. I leave it to 
the individual to arrive at the conclusion that allows them the most sleep 
at night.

So we reach the end. The retention period has been met and 85% of your 
records have been "goned". After the party and all the streamers have been 
picked up and xerox machine cleaned, then we decide to deal with the 15% of 
the records that we have decided to hang onto forever (don't start I know 
the Feds have it at 3% and some county in old New England said theirs was 
34%, regardless of the volume...).

Because we are all trained archivists and certainly the majority of the 
CRM's know they are qualified, I am sure I don't have to address much about 
archival theory reagarding archival order, structure, fonds, etc. Suffcie to 
say we have it now what we gonna do with it. We can image the record to 
Archival film, store it according to one of several archival standards as an 
electronic image, or retain it in its native format.

Regardless of what you do with an electronic record at some point you are 
going to move it forward. At that point the current record is the record 
copy and the previous version is subject to disposal. THIS IS THE NUT OF IT. 
Everytime to refresh a system. restore from backup,  move from this to that 
the most current version is the record.

Chris Flynn

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