We are currently using FileNet P8 v.5.2.1 for our digital transformation project. I'm interested in using the event based retention function/feature for some of our record types.  Can we use this feature out-of-the-box?  Do we just enable and create the event?  Thanks,

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Mary Marquez, CIP
Municipal Records Manager
Office of the City Clerk
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Hi Mary,

V 5.2.1 is WAY out of support...

In a sense it is out-of-the-box...
The event based retention feature revolves around the retention type 'Indefinite' (NOT infinite!) which means a document with this retention cannot be deleted until a retention date is set and when this expires you can delete it, but there is no automatic disposal of expired documents.

So you can set the default document class retention to indefinite and you have mastered the first (easy) step.

Your core application (whatever they are) are normally the only ones to know when an 'event' happened (e.g. closing of a bank account). This knowledge needs to be 'transferred' to P8 where now the known retention dates are applied to the documents changing the retention dates from  Indefinite to a known date. When this date has passed you can delete the documents.

You can have storage to support this (IBM calls this a second layer of safety) , but it is not technically neccessary.

Regards,
/Gerold


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Gerold Krommer
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In addition to @Gerold Krommer's note, you can add IBM Enterprise Records to the environment to get automated sweeps for disposing the records and processing events based on metadata updates. IER will give you the framework for creating a FilePlan ​​and comes with NARA and DoD templates for certain things that might be tangentially relevant for your municipality (or at least provide a good starting point).

Best,
Eric

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Eric Walk
Director

O: 617-453-9983 | NASDAQ: PRFT | Perficient.com
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You can also update the retention settings using the Sweep framework in ACCE. So as has been mentioned in this thread, the first step is to set the retention to Indefinite on the documents....

For existing documents, you can do this with Sweep. For new documents, consider updating the document class definition with the indefinite retention setting...this way, all new documents will get this setting automatically.

Also, as mentioned in the thread, if you are storing your content on a fixed content device, check to see if (a) in ACCE, the fixed storage area has been configured in aligned mode. If it has, then any retention settings on the documents must be compatible with the configuration of the fixed content (WORM) device, and (b) check that the fixed content device you are using supports the use of the indefinite retention -- not all do.

Assuming all of the above is good...then you also need to make sure you have a property on your documents that can be used to trigger a change in the retention settings to an explicit date...and that you know how long the document needs to be kept once this trigger occurs. For instance, if an account document needs to be kept for seven years following the account being closed, make sure you have a property that you can use to determine the account is closed...this might be a Boolean (Account Closed), or maybe a Date (Account Closure Date). Then you would set up regular sweeps via a Job Policy to look for all accounts that have been closed,  and set their retention dates to 7 years from today (or from date of the account being closed).

And as mentioned...you definitely need to upgrade your 5.2.1 system to a more current, and fully supported P8 level. Moving to 5.5.8 would be recommended as it is our latest long term support release.

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RUTH Hildebrand-Lund
rhildebr@us.ibm.com
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