In Records Manager, a record is said to be governed by a retention policy if it is assigned a retention schedule, or it resides within a file part that has a retention schedule. After records are assigned to a schedule, they are subjected to a sequence of retention events as determined by the schedule.
There are different methods by which the iManage Records Policy Service assigns retention schedules to electronic records:
Parent Container: The retention schedule of the parent container (matter or file part) is assigned. Typically, iManage Work workspaces that are filed in the file plan inherit the retention schedule of the matter in which they are filed.
Record Type: The record type is mapped to a given document class or subclass, and the retention schedule defined in the record type is assigned. This is an indirect method of assigning retention schedules by metadata, and is similar to how physical records are handled.
NOTE: The record-type-based method is only applicable to declared document versions (file parts of media type WS Record) and folders (file parts of media type WS Folder) because workspaces do not have a Class/Subclass attribute.
Template: The iManage Records Policy Service finds an appropriate template based on the media type and record type of the record. The retention schedule defined in the template is assigned.
iManage Work Profile Metadata: An iManage Work metadata property of the record is mapped to a Records Manager retention schedule and includes a specific retention schedule ID. This retention schedule is assigned to the record.
NOTE: This method is only available on folders and documents, and is recommended when the user knows the retention schedule.
The appropriate method depends on the business process involved. For example, a law firm would typically use the parent container-based method where retention is applied at the matter-level, since there's little or no deviation at the folder or document level. Whereas, transactional records would typically use the template-based method where retention is applied at the folder-level. For example, a Correspondence folder would have a different retention schedule from a Contracts folder.
The following table outlines the recommended methods based on the level at which retention is applied in your organization.
Table: Recommended schedule assignment methods for different retention levels
Retention Applied At | Recommended Schedule Assignment method |
|---|---|
Matter/Workspace/Engagement | Parent Container |
Folder | Record Type Template |
Document | iManage Work Profile Metadata |