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Records Management: How do RM and DM differ?
There is a lot of confusion about what the differences are between Records Management and Document Management.
CMSWire recently summarized some of the differernces between the two types of systems:
| Document Management | Records Management | |
| Stored Objects |
A Document is stored information that contains structured and unstructured data. Documents are often associated with metadata, a set of properties or attributes that further describe or summarize document content. | Records are a special kind of document that contain information that is used for making business decisions. Records are assigned lifecycle instructions, sometimes called the disposition schedule, that describes how the records should be stored, how long they need to be retained, and how to dispose of them at the end of their life. |
| Management Software |
Document Management software focuses on the searchability of document content. It manages data security, particularly which users can access which types of data. Document Management systems control the creation of document versions and support the locking of documents checked-out for revisions. The DM system provides an audit capability to see the complete history of changes made by authors of a document. | Record Management software is complementary to Document Management. Once a document is declared to be a record, the RM system will ensure that the record is not altered. Records are filed or categorized based on a specialized classification system known as the ‘file plan’. Records are then disposed of at the end of the life of the record based on the record disposition schedule. |
| Object Storage |
Documents contain information that can be efficiently searched from within an organization. Documents are often very dynamic and are actively revised and updated. | Records are generally static and are not intended to be altered until the lifecycle of the record indicates that they need to be superceded. |
| Automation | Document management is often at the core of business process automation. When combined with a workflow, documents can flow through the organization, as specified by the business process flow, and users within the organization can act on the data contained in the document. | The record lifecycle instructions or disposition schedule is a special kind of workflow that is associated with a record. Compared to document workflow, record workflow is typically much simpler, usually involving just a few steps. |
| Object Security |
Most DM systems have capabilities around security and privileges, but it isn’t strictly required. | Records Management is very strict in specifying security of records: who can declare and access records, and who can approve final record disposition. |
| Object Disposal |
DM systems don’t have strict requirements about when documents should be deleted. | The destruction of records is usually regulated by laws. Federal agencies often need to transfer records to be permanently archived to NARA, the National Archives. |
