Julie,
  I don't believe you're off -base and networking sessions :) should occur 
if you need more information-not conference sessions.  Let's go ahead and 
take this a step further and see if I can screw it up.

  First we need some definitions:

        Data ? A combination of characters or bytes referring to one 
separate item of information such as names, addresses, etc. Such 
information may be in numerical or word form and can be digitally 
transmitted or processed as well as manually prepared and processed.

        Information ? Data placed in a meaningful context for users. A 
subset of data, normally dynamic, that can be manipulated.

        Record ? A collection of related data fields that is used by an 
organization as evidence of a business transaction or pursuant to a legal 
obligation, in the normal course of business. Records are a subset of data 
that is static and unchanging.

These definitions describe  electronic records as a small sub-set of data. 
 Now that's not to say that you don't/shouldn't manage the data.  If you 
don't
manage the data the databases that hold them continue to get larger and 
performance issues or other problems can occur.  You also don't just want 
to 
archive all the data such that the archives continue to grow and be 
cluttered.
 
My feeling is that you want to manage them as what SAP(or whatever db) 
calls data objects and have a retention period for each object.  These 
objects 
are made up of a combination of data fields/tables that could be a common 
part of multiple data objects.  After  all the objects have been given a 
retention period you then look for the data fields contained in multiple 
objects and assign the longest object retention period. This allows the 
data to be 
purged when no longer needed (after legal hold review).  It works the same 
as when you snapshot the unstructured records and assigned a retention 
series/period to them- They maintain the 4 record tenets and can be purged 
consistently.  It may not be at the same time but if you show the decision 

process and the lack of being able to generate a record that meets the 
original you should be covered from a retention standpoint.  This is 
similar to 
the RIM lifecycle management model where you start to capture/manage 
content at creation but only declare the content as an 
official record on those items needing long-term retention- the rest is 
destroyed when no longer needed. 

Julie- In your "origination " credit example I think you should snapshot 
both attorneys stuff and have them linked through some other metadata or 
common field (case ?).  This way if there is any question concerning who 
did what and in what sequence, it has an audit trail.

I hope this helps and isn't off-base or topic.

My 2 cents


Steve Petersen CRM
Records Manager
Rockwell Collins Inc
319.295.5244




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