I also had and have now from time to time the same situation.
 
but first, I want to ask the question with the following answer.
Let say that your organization does have the automated records management system.
What it is capacity of the system - 100.000 files, 1.000.000 files, or may be more.
Let say that you have 70% of capasity full -about 70.000 files that are not destroyed and you can search them on the system and  get them for review.
Now is the question - what happened with the files that have met their retention period and are destroyed or,  if they have luck, transferred to archives?
Does information about those files remain on the system, and if the answer is yes, the next question is for how long?
I presume that you keep the Destruction forms, or Certificates, permanent, according to your's organisation retention by-law.
Do you realy need to keep information about the files been destroyed into the system as well?
I think it is clear that if you have now records series with sertain number years of retention and you destroy these records as part of normal business activity, it is obvious that you destroyed the files from the same records series in the past.
It is possible that in sertain years the gap occured and you did everything to find the miising files but no luck. When these "missing" files uppear suddenly after sertain period of time, you have two choices - you enter them into your records management system and keep them until end of their retention, or you destroy them as their retention period is over.
For me it is important and "my" people - clients understand it, that it is important to have document of destruction for the records than to destroy them without any records.
I prepare the same destruction form with comment " documents pertaing to..." if these records have short retention period, and prepare inventory of files for records series with long retention period, but I don't enter them into the system - why do I need to take the system's space.
Also, do you clear the information about destroyed files from the system after sertain period of time, if you keep the Destruction Certificates permanent?
 
Too long,
 
Regards,
 
Alex Babin
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