scope:

PURPOSE

This Standard sets forth mandatory baseline functional requirements and requirements for classified marking, access control, and other processes, and identifies nonmandatory features deemed desirable for Records Management Application (RMA) software. This revised version of the Standard incorporates requirements for managing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act records (Reference (p)). This version also incorporates baseline requirements for RMA to RMA interoperability and archival transfer to the NARA.

This Standard describes the minimum records management requirements that must be met in accordance with section 2902 of title 44 United States Code (USC) Reference (q) and guidance and implementing regulations promulgated by NARA. The word "shall" identifies mandatory system standards and the word "should" identifies design objectives that are desirable but not mandatory.

This version also expects the development of RMA software to adhere to DoD netcentric information sharing principles and is intended to provide guidance to vendors (References (r) and (s)). The DoD Components shall use this Standard in the implementation of their records management programs to include certification testing by Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC). DoD Chief Information Officer Memorandum (Reference (r)) and DoD Directive (Reference (s)) detail the DoD information sharing principles, identifying the need to make data holdings visible, accessible, understandable, and trusted. The DoD records are an important part of the DoD information assets, and as such should be included in efforts to improve information sharing. New requirements found in this Standard are intended to ensure that for the Department of Defense, RMA software shall facilitate DoD Component, Service, and Agency efforts to share information. The goal of this Standard relative to the DoD records is to make records:

Visible by developing and registering standardized metadata.

Accessible through web services with usable, standardized interfaces.

Understandable through the availability and use of rich metadata describing the records and their context.

As part of the DoD movement towards net-centric information sharing, RMA software should migrate towards providing standards-compliant services for the Department of Defense. These services would provide the capability to announce an RMA's holdings and request records, making records both visible and accessible. The services would be paired with service connection instructions, making the service itself understandable. DoD users of RMA software would then incorporate these services into a larger service-oriented architecture to achieve broader information sharing.