So as I follow this thread, it would begin to seem that we have come full circle. It used to be we would certify our computer output microfilm applications to ensure that all COM images were an exact mirror of what was sent to the customer. Then little by little as computing costs lessoned and electronic storage became more cost effective and more high density, we disguard out mirrors in lieu of data bits and bytes floating about in higher and higher density stacks. Regulations relax (I am thinking of the IRS and also admisibility of electronic evidence in courts) and coporate business practices streamline to the point of being ludicrous (I am thinking in terms of the burst of the .com bubble). So now you have stingent regulations in the US again. Burt only because a lot of people lost a lot of money. Is SOX just the start? Have any of you had to manage document discovery lately? The document requests are insane! I am thinking that the next time we retire a database, I will suggest going back to the tried and true - image capture through COM. Document the system and save the forms flashes. Considering the electronic discoveries I've lead these last few months, 1984 was just 20 years late. Sharon Burnett Seattle Washington USA List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance