Versioning in Records Management

[loftux]

I've been trying out the new 3.2 Records Management functionality. Using RM, there are a lot of concepts to grasp, but one of the most fundamental is for me is the how versioning is done. I cannot find any Check Out, or Edit Offline.
So how do you track document (record) versions in RM?

//Peter Löfgren

[carlos_miguens]

So first thing, is that RM is not designed to offer the same functionality as document management. Once a record has been declared it cannot be edited. If we take a business scenario about how this might work it may help to illustrate.

Suppose that you are in the process of drafting and negociating a contract with a new client. This contract would be created in the document management system, in Alfresco this would be the Share collaboration site. Here you would check-out, version, check-in, modify, etc. Eventually there would be final version of the contract which is signed by both parties. This is the point when the contract hits the RM system. You would use the copy function to "file" the document as a record in the RM site and then declare it. The record is then fixed/unalterable.

Of course we know reality is never quite like that. We know that next year the client will come back to re-negociate the contract! At this point you would go back to your DM system and start editing the contract there (if you have lost/deleted it you can always take a copy from the RM system) again you go through the same process as above until you have the (new) final version which you and the client sign in the document management system.

At this point though you have a conundrum because if you just file this in the RM site then its another record and really you want to be able to show that this is a new version of an older record - and this may be getting down to your question now. In order to do this you file the new record and before you declare the record you create a reference to the old record. Do this by going to the records view details page and click on Manage References. Now you can create a Versions reference to the older record.

Doing this this is more laborious, but it does allow for different versions to be in different folders. If somebody is looking at the older version they will see that there is a newer version and vice-versa. Finally old "versions" or records are excluded from searches so it always finds the latest one.

Hope this helps and answers your question.
Carlos

[loftux]

Thanks for the explanation Carlos,

Looking at the standard, these paragraphs are the ones I've found as setting this behaviour

C2.2.3.7. RMAs shall prevent subsequent changes to electronic records stored in their supported repositories. The contents of the records, once filed, shall be preserved (part 1222.50 of Reference (g) and Reference (y)).

C2.2.3.22. RMAs shall provide the capability to increment versions of records when filing. RMAs shall associate and link the versions. Each version shall be associated with its own set of metadata.
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So it works as defined by standard. But to me being more of a DM person rather than RM, this makes it cumbersome to use RM.
Would the standard not allow for versioning as long as a document has not been declared a record?
Think I will have to add that
I like what the RM gives us in functionality, it fills the gap over the over-simplified Document Management in Share Collaboration. Like the possibility to use roles for security, do advanced searching, tracking etc. Maybe part of that is coming to Collaboration DM in later releases.

BTW, I could not test adding the version reference. The 'Link to Record' Select-dialog just stays at 'Loading'.

[carlos_miguens]

Some of the functionality in RM will transition its way to Share - cross pollenation and all that. RM is definately a different beast to document management.

Not sure why it just says "loading" on references, I've seen this type of thing be related to browser version. We have a few hiccups with IE, but I thought we had all those sorted out.

Carlos

[sylvain78]

Would the standard not allow for versioning as long as a document has not been declared a record?

As Loftux said, wouldn't it be more simple to allow versioning/editing on undeclared record?

This way, we create it once in the RM Site and we can manage everything from there.

We find that working in parallel sites (DM and RM) is confusing for many users.

Sylvain