Metadata - Information about electronic records

ARMA Records Management Quarterly, Oct 1995 by Phillips, John T Jr

One of the most challenging issues facing information professionals is an explosion in the varieties of information to be managed. Gone are the days when a large complex business could survive by processing paper-based checks, purchase orders, or correspondence. Technologies such as electronic funds transfer, electronic data interchange, and electronic mail are making some paper-based transactions and communications both quaint and costly. As an example, many financial institutions increasingly prefer that their customers use automated teller machines (ATMs) for financial transactions, because ATMs save labor costs for the institutions and reduce the time that customers must spend waiting in line. However, information that is processed entirely electronically must be documented to provide evidence that the transaction actually occurred and to assure protection of the information assets of the enterprise.

How does one describe an electronic record, a computer data file, or even a piece of paper that contains information of interest for use or preservation? Does one employ the same terminology to discuss information about a person's name in a computer's mailing label database as one might use to describe the same data residing in a formatted "box" on a paper form? Is the text "John &. Public" the same information regardless of the media (paper or electronic) or the data format (first name followed by last name)?

Answers to these questions will have a major impact on all information management professions due to a shocking realization--information will increasingly be managed without allowing its ephemeral physical format to dominate information. management procedures and techniques] Content transcends form. Information value is derived from the usefulness of the data, not the intrinsic value of the media on which the data is stored. Information can be more useful, informative, and inexpensive when managed in a manner that avoids a reliance on any one physical storage medium. Information management principles and procedures should be applicable to all media, thus allowing the user to choose the best medium for creation, use, and storage. If paper-based information works the best--use paper. If optical disk storage is best--use that technology. However, the principles of information management should be the same.

DESCRIBING DIGITAL DATA

To manage information seamlessly, without regard to physical format, requires developing a generic means of describing information. This "information about information" serves as a tool for managers and users of data to get a handle on the raw materials with which they work. Such an information description standard can be used to develop integrated methodologies for creating, using, and storing paper documents, complex electronic records, or unformatted data in databases. Without a generic means of describing information, it will be very difficult to inventory digitally stored information or to compare electronic documents to their hard copy counterparts. To create a records retention schedule that applies to both computer-based records and paper files requires an ability to specify a report, purchase requisition, memo, or letter in a manner that makes the physical recording medium secondary to the information content.

For example, some common "data elements" used to describe a file of correspondence could be the series name, series description, records date, records volume, expected growth rate, frequency of use, retention status, media description, and requirements for use. These "data elements are the building blocks for all data processing systems."(1) A data element is a "unit of data that, in a certain context, is considered indivisible.(2) For both paper documents and computer disk files, the series name, description, date, growth rate, frequency of use, and retention status should be identical. The series name could be "internal correspondence," the description could be "memos and letters," the date might be "1/1/94-12/31/95," the growth rate might be "10 files per week," the frequency of use might be "weekly," and the retention status could be "retain for five years." These data elements and their descriptions can be used to apply to both computer files or paper files, thus creating a common description of the information contained in a document or file that is not media dependent. The raw data itself is considered to be a "value" or "instance" of the data within its expected "domain" or "range" of values. "For example, green, 4'6", 5 seconds, 404-33-4059, and tall are all examples of data. The set of all possible legal values that a data element can assume is referred to as its domain."(3)

The data elements that are used to describe the physical and operational aspects of the files begin to give insight into how the same information characteristics can be used to describe different media. The volume, media description, and requirements for use will contain different descriptions for paper documents as opposed to electronic files. For instance, paper file volumes might be described as "four file boxes." Electronic files might be described as "4 megabytes of data in 175 files." A media description data element could help differentiate between "floppy disks" for digitally recorded information and "standard letter-sized paper" for documents in file folders. A requirements-for-use data element will clearly distinguish between records that "require MS-DOS, Windows, and Word for Windows software" and those paper records that have "no special requirements" for viewing or use. These description fields give insight into the fact that some files are hard copy, whereas, some other files can be data that were electronically recorded. They also provide documentation of the computer system or software required to view the electronically recorded files. The important factor is the same information fields (data elements) are captured for all information of records, regardless of format.