Modifying Record Class

  1. Search for and select the record(s) whose Record Class you want to modify.
  2. Right-click and click Property Editor.
    The Edit multiple properties and Additional Field values dialogue is displayed.
  3. Search for, or browse to, the Record Class property, select and click Modify; alternatively, double-click the property name.
  4. On the Enter a new value for Record Class dialogue, click the drop-down list to select the appropriate option:
    • Vital
    • Corporate
    • Workgroup
    • Personal
    • Reference
    • Temporary.
  5. Click OK, then click OK on the Property Editor if further updates are not required.

    The record class is changed.

NOTE: Only users of user type Administrator or Records Manager can change the class of a record.

The class of a record reflects the type of record it is that shares a common attribute with other records, not the Record Type.

This function can be useful for filtering records when performing a search.

Classes and their definitions:

  • Vital - regarded as invaluable for the organisation.

    These are usually records that cannot be replaced if they are lost or destroyed. Many agencies store their vital records off site.

    Examples for vital records:

    • Establishment records, i.e. establishment of the organisation
    • Managing Director Personnel records
    • Certain policy documents
    • Certain procedure documents

    When the scheduled tasks function is activated, then when a user sets a record's record class to Vital, regardless of whether it has a Classification attached, Content Manager creates the scheduled task Vital Record Review and Update in the Scheduled Tasks tab in the record's Properties dialogue box. See Scheduled tasks.

    You can search for records that have a class of Vital - either generated from the attached Classification or modified manually - by using the Business Process - Scheduled Tasks search method.

    See Business Process search methods.

  • Corporate - default class. Usually those that are used by the whole organisation.
  • Workgroup - usually used by a specific section or project-based group within the organisation
  • Personal - usually used by a specific person
  • Reference - usually used for reference purposes only
  • Temporary - those that are regarded as temporary and of no lasting value.

    For example, when a record goes missing and the users still want a folder to hold their working papers, you can create a file to temporarily contain the papers.

    Once you have found the original record, remove the papers from the temporary copy and put them with the original while you either destroy the temporary record and/or reuse the record number.