List of Values - Supplementary Markings

[miriamchristof]

I'm working on a document for our team to explain the records management concept in general and Alfresco's approach in these area.
The Alfresco documentation, the webinar and screencast helped a lot, but I have one open question:

I can't find the possibility to add supplementary markings both to a user and a record. I browsed through the forum and found the interesting minute of Simone.white: http://forums.alfresco.com/en/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=22949

and try to follow his steps…. My problem now: I created three new users and invited them to the RM site. But I didn't get the invitation mail to confirm the access. (Mail adress is my private mail adress, I double checked it directly in the mail browser and  the spam folder)

I navigated to the List of values to add supplementary markings, but it shows no "add" or "edit". The window is empty.

Only for my understanding of the access control concept: I granted every user a role - with this role, the user earns different capabilities. Additionally the records can be protected with supplementary markings so that f.e. a RM admin can't see a record because he hasn't the right supplementary marking at his user account.
I think, this is the purpose of the concept, right?

Thanks for all help, Miriam

[carlos_miguens]

When you create the RM site initially it comes with an empty Supplementary Markings list. You need to add some values to this list and assign users to those values. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to the Records Management Console
2. Select List of Values
3. Edit Supplemental Markings
4. In the Values List enter your marking, e.g. Confidential, then click Add
5. Now under Access (on the right of the screen) click Add and add the user you want to have this marking.

Now you are done - almost - here is the trick!

Supplementary markings are themselves subject to security. So as an administrator you might be able to manage them and see them in the management console, but when you come to assign them to a folder or record you won't see them! Unless you make sure that you give yourself access.

So it is good practice to repeat Step 5 and add in the Records Management Administrator group.

Now you are ready to use your supplementary markings. Go to any folder or record and assign Confidential (or your marking) from the Edit Metadata page.

Let me know if you have any problems with this.

[miriamchristof]

Hi Carlos,

thanks for the explanation - especially for the trick 🙂
I tried to follow your steps, but stucked at the same point: I can't see the supplementary marking list under "List of Values", the window is completely empty.

Any ideas?

Rhanks, Miriam

[carlos_miguens]

Ah OK, there should be two lists here:

Supplemental Markings
Transfer Locations

So you can't see these or they don't exist. Sounds like the installation didn't work as expected, I don't know why.

If you have a New List button on this screen you might want to try and add the Supplemental Markings list (it must be spelled exactly right), this may work, BUT my concern is if the lists are missing there could be other things wrong with the install. What version did you use? You might want to try and install 3.2r Enterprise if you don't already have that.

[miriamchristof]

I can't see the Supplementary marking list and try to understand, what might be wrong.
I'll install the enterprise 3.2r, maybe the problem is solved then.

I played a little bit with the other issues on the Records Management console, esp. with the custom metadata. As I understand it, I can define custom metadata, such as series, categories and folders. Ok, got it. But: where did they appear? I can't see them in my file plan with the uploaded Alfresco test documents.
And: when I choose "Selection list" in the custom meta data window, what does this mean? I assume, this predefines the list, which I can see and choose in the meta data view of the document? So f.e.: I create a new folder "Invoices UK" with the Selection list "Supplementary markings" and mandantory fields, this means, when I create a new folder with the type Invoices UK, I can see under the meta data of this folder a supplementary marking list and there are specific mandantory fields?

Thanks for all help, Miriam

[carlos_miguens]

Currently the system does not have the capability to create new record "types". When you add a new metadata item (user defined) it applies to all the objects in the system including the series, categories, folders and records. So you could for instance define a new field called "region", you would then find this is available on all the objects in the system - in the Edit Metadata page.

If you leave it at this point you could then enter such things as "UK", "US", "South America", "Bavaria", etc. of course the users can enter any values. So the selection lists allow you to constrain the values which the field may take. You could define a selection list called "continents" and give this the values you want: "Europe", "North America", "South America", "Asia", "Africa", etc.

Finally you associate the selection list with the region metadata item.

BTW: You can use these metadata items for security control, but Supplementty Markings should be enough for most purposes.