SharePoint® 2010 Administration: Instant Reference

Understand Records Management in SharePoint

Records management involves tracking and organizing the critical files and information generated by an organization throughout the life of the items, from the time they are created to the time they are purged. Not all files are considered records. A record is a piece of information that is required to be held as evidence for a legal, regulatory, or essential business need. Some examples of records are as follows:

• Signed contracts are legal documents that are usually treated as records.
• Documents reviewed, approved, and signed by a specific person may be essential to keep.
• A calendar appointment or a task might be needed to prove that an organization was meeting a regulatory demand.

While much of records ...