Included are definitions of terms specific to this standard. For definitions of more
general terms please see the Glossary of Archives and Recordkeeping Terms at
http://continuum.archives.govt.nz/ .

Aggregation:

An ordered sequence of related records. For example, within the entity ‘agent’, an
individual, a work unit, a department, a division, a branch or the organisation as a
whole can be described. Within the entity class ‘record’, an item, a folder, a file, a
series, etc, can be described. Each of these layers is referred to as an aggregation.

Application profile:

An application profile delineates the use of metadata elements declared in an element set. While an element set establishes concepts, as expressed via metadata elements, and focuses on the semantics or meanings of those elements, an application profile goes further and adds business rules and guidelines on the use of the elements. It identifies element obligations and constraints, and provides comments and examples to assist in the understanding of the elements. Application profiles may include elements integrated from one or more element sets thus allowing a given application to meet its functional requirements.

Authenticity:

An authentic record is one that can be proven:

1) to be what it purports to be

2) to have been created or sent by the person or system purported to have
created or sent it

3) to have been created or sent at the time purported.

Business activity:

An umbrella term covering all functions, processes, activities and transactions of an
organisation and its employees to produce a product and/or service in the conduct
or normal business practice. This includes public administration as well as commercial business.

Business system/application:

Software designed to manage interrelated business processes and information,
to achieve business outcomes.

Capture:

The process of fixing the content, structure and context of a record to ensure that
it is a reliable and authentic representation of the business activities or transactions
in which it was created or transmitted.

Control tools:

Specific recordkeeping tools that govern the processes and descriptions of:

• registration – provides evidence of the existence of records in a recordkeeping system
• classification – allows for appropriate grouping, naming, security protection, user permissions and retrieval
• indexing – allocates attributes or codes to particular records to assist in their retrieval
• tracking – provides evidence of where a record is located, what action is
• outstanding on a record, who has seen a record, when such access took place and the recordkeeping transactions that have been undertaken on the record
• disposal – refers to the many options in relation to the fate of public records and local authority records including: transfer of control to Archives New
  Zealand or any other public office/local authority, destruction, sale, alteration, or discharge.

Context:

The knowledge necessary to sustain a record’s meaning or evidential value. Context describes the ‘who, what, where and why’ of record creation and management.

Destruction:

The process of eliminating a record from a system beyond any possible reconstruction.

Disposal:

The final decision concerning the fate of records, i.e. destruction or transfer to archives.
On rare occasions the disposal may be by sale or donation.
Within the legal framework of New Zealand, disposal, in relation to a public record
or local authority record, means:

1) the transfer of control of a record
2) the sale, alteration, destruction, or discharge of a record.

Electronic record:

Record consisting of information stored in a form based not on human readable
symbols but on a binary encoding, which can be manipulated by computers and
therefore be made readable by humans. An electronic record consists of both a record object and recordkeeping metadata.

 

Encoding schemes:

Schemes that aid in the interpretation of an element value. These schemes include
controlled vocabularies and formal notations or parsing rules. A value expressed using an encoding scheme will thus be a token selected from a controlled vocabulary (e.g. a term from a classification system or set of subject headings) or a string formatted in accordance with a formal notation.

Entity:

See Metadata entity.

Export:

The process of formatting data in such a way that it can be used by another application and can be passed from one system to another system, either within the organisation or elsewhere. An application that can export data can create a file in a format that another application understands, enabling the two programmes to share the same data. Export (rather than transfer) does not necessarily mean removing data from the first system.

Extensible:

Having the potential to be expanded in scope, area or size. The ability to extend a core set of metadata with additional elements.

Integrity:

The integrity of a record refers to it being complete and unaltered. Integrity is
protected via control measures such as access monitoring, user verification, authorised destruction and security.

Legacy:

For the purposes of this standard only, legacy shall mean systems/applications existing before the issue of the standard in June 2008.

Mapping:

A chart or table that identifies the semantic equivalent (meaning or function) of data elements in a metadata standard to fields or data elements that have similar function or meaning occurring in a business system/application.

Metadata:

Structured information that describes and/or enables finding, managing, controlling, understanding or preserving other information over time.
See also, Recordkeeping metadata.

Metadata element:

A discrete unit of data. An element may contain sub-elements. Note: equivalent
to ‘attribute’ in UML (Unified Modelling Language) terminology.

Metadata element set:

See Metadata schema.

Metadata entity:

Set of metadata elements describing the same aspect of data e.g. record, agent,
mandate, business or relationship.

Note: equivalent to ‘class’ in UML terminology.

Metadata schema:

Framework that specifies and describes a standard set of metadata elements and their interrelationships. Note: Schemas provide a formal syntax (or structure) and semantics (or definitions) for the metadata elements.

Metadata values:

The content of a metadata element, which provides information about a characteristic or attribute of a resource.

Point of capture metadata:

Metadata that documents the business context in which records are created, as well as the content, structure and appearance of those records.

Process metadata:

Metadata that documents records management and business processes in which
records are subsequently used, including any changes to the content, structure and
appearance.

Reconstruction:

The process of retrospectively identifying the data needed to recreate a defensible set of events relating to the creation, alteration, management and destruction of a record. This includes who has undertaken the events, the sequence of action and when they took place.

 

Record:

Information, whether in its original form or otherwise, including (without limitation) a document, a signature, a seal, text, images, sound, speech, or data compiled, recorded, or stored:

1) in written form on any material
2) on film, negative, tape, or other medium so as to be capable of being
reproduced
3) by means of any recording device or process, computer, or other electronic device or process.

An electronic record consists of both a record object and recordkeeping metadata.

Record object:

The physical or logical group of data, existing at the lowest level of aggregation
of a record, containing the electronic content of a transaction.

Recordkeeping metadata:

Data that enables the creation, management and use of records through time.
Recordkeeping metadata can be used to identify, authenticate and contextualise
records and the people, processes and systems that create, manage and use them.

Schema:

See Metadata schema.

Tamper-proof:

Made resistant to interference. Protection against tampering, or the deliberate altering or adulteration of a record.

Transaction:

The smallest unit of business activity. The use of a record is itself a transaction.

Unique Identifier:

A string of characters assigned to a record object enabling retrieval of this record object and no other within its recordkeeping context.

Note: a unique identifier may be derived from multiple existing data elements or may be system assigned when a record is created. If the identifier contains data that may change over time e.g. a path name, then a change process will be needed to ensure external links that use the identifier can still be resolved after an update. It may also be necessary to update identifiers when records are moved to a different system or location so uniqueness can be guaranteed. If organisational systems allow, it could be advantageous to investigate use of a standard universal identifier and namespace.