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

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608/787-1218