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Date: | Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:37:47 -0500 |
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I have a question for those who are using enterprise content management
software in conjunction with records management software.
Here is the situation: Users can enter records into the software without
declaring them to be official records. Over time, for some of the records
they create multiple versions before officially declaring the final
version. Once they declare the final version, they forget about all the
undeclared versions. They should go back and delete these non-official
versions, but they often don’t.
At some point the declared version comes up for disposition and gets
purged, but because the RM software doesn’t know the undeclared versions
exist, they don’t get purged. Here is the question: If this happens in
your company, how are you handling it?
We have been discussion this and have come up with these options. They
have their pluses and minuses.
1. We create and run a utility or script which automatically declares
all of the versions so they will come up for disposition. This is the
plus. The minus is the user will get a disposition review batch with all
of the versions listed. The batch does not show version numbers, just the
title. They won’t understand why the same record is listed multiple
times.
2. Have a utility or script run and delete the undeclared versions
when the official record gets purged. The plus is the user won’t see all
of the versions on the batch. The minus is purging records without the
user knowing it is being done.
In both cases, we would be deleting records without approval from the
users. It is our practice to get approval before official records are
purged. At this time, I don’t have any policy or procedure about purging
unofficial records. Whatever we decide to do, it will become part of our
documented procedures.
It isn’t practical to do searches for undeclared versions and then ask the
owners to review and delete them. Besides being pretty sure it would
never get done, there are too many records in the repository to do this.
I said I would come to this group and see what others are doing or what
your thoughts are.
***********************************
Janet Nelson CRM
Manager Records
Dairyland Power Cooperative
3200 East Avenue South
PO Box 817
La Crosse WI 54602-0817
[log in to unmask]
608/787-1218
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