I'm assuming that your business processes are tracked through a database
that records/tracks activity such that it is clear when a project is
COMPLETED or account CLOSED or patient DECEASED or whatever. You could
use that status as a trigger for establishing the end of active life.

Assuming that the records you are receiving and filing in your
repository have a uniquely identifiable link or key to those databases
(file number, barcode number, account number, serial number, etc.) it
should be fairly easy to get an occasional (annually, quarterly, etc.)
data dump from the business process database(s) that would contain the
files/records that are now inactive (COMPLETED,CLOSED,DECEASED,etc.).

You can then bang that data against your records repository database and
have it set the flags programmatically.


Gerry



-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Vednere, Ganesh
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: How to handle "ACT" retention periods

We have a centralized records repository to manage and retain electronic
records. These records are ingested from a variety of sources and
categorized into the appropriate file plan structure. Some of these
records have a retention period that is "ACT+" (e.g. ACT+6).  In order
for us to start the retention clock, we need to tell the records
repository that the record has completed its active life and hence start
the clock.  
 
The issue is that the business processes are not connected to the
records repository and so the user has to manually check a "flag" in
order to tell the records repository that a record is no longer active
and so start the clock.  Given that we have hundreds of thousands of
records, it will become somewhat cumbersome for the user to manually
check a flag on a periodic basis. 

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