Included are definitions of terms specific to this Technical Guide. For definitions of more
general terms please see the Glossary of Archives and Recordkeeping Terms.

Aggregation:
An ordered sequence of related records.
For example, within the entity “agent”, an individual, a work unit, a department or division or 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 Technical Documentlines 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.

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

Conceptual model:
A map of the entities of interest, and the high-level relationships between them, in a particular business domain.

Control tools:
Specific recordkeeping tools designed to 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.

Controlled vocabulary:
See encoding schemes.

EDRMS – Electronic Document and Records Management System:
Software products designed specifically to manage the creation, use, maintenance and disposal of digital records (particularly document based records) for the purposes of providing evidence of business activities. These systems maintain appropriate contextual information and metadata, as well as links between records to support their value as evidence.

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 (eg, a term from a classification system or set of subject headings) or a string formatted in accordance with a formal notation or syntax.

Entity:
See Metadata entity.

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

Flattening:
The process whereby metadata about other entities are brought explicitly within the boundaries of the entities chosen for implementation.

Hierarchy:
An arrangement of objects, people, elements, values, classes, etc., in a ranked or graduated series. Items in a hierarchy are typically thought of as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another.

Inheritance:
A forced nesting of deliberately designed terms used to organise entities (particularly records, agents and business), generally enabling lower level entities to take on metadata attributes from their parent entities.

Logical model:
Based on the conceptual model, a detailed map of entities and their descriptive characteristics (attributes / elements), and the relationships between them, at any layer of aggregation. Includes information about obligations for use of the entities and their descriptive elements and keys for linking the entities through relationships.

Metadata:
Structured information that describes and/or enables finding, managing, controlling, understanding or preserving other information over time.

Metadata element:
A discrete unit of data or metadata.  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.  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.

Namespace:
A unique name that identifies a metadata element and sometimes the organisation that has developed the associated schema. The use of namespaces allows the definition of a metadata element to be unambiguously identified (usually with a Uniform Resource Identifier), even though the element’s label or title alone might occur in many metadata sets.

Node:
A term employed to indicate whether a metadata element is used to store metadata values or whether the actual metadata value is stored in an associated sub-element. When an element is referred to as a node it means that it is acting as a container for sub-elements that will contain the metadata values. A node element must not be used to store metadata values.

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.

Provenance:

• the public office and local authority, office or person of origin of records, ie the entity which created, received or accumulated and used the records in the conduct of business or personal life. Also referred to as records creator.
• the chain of custody which reflects the office(s) or person(s) that created, received or accumulated and used the records in the conduct of business or in the course of personal life.  Identifying and documenting the provenance of records is an essential part of establishing their authority and integrity as evidence.

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 digital contents 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.

Series:
The records or archives having the same provenance which belong together because:

• they are part of a discernible filing system (alphabetical, numerical, chronological, or a combination of these)
• they have been kept together because they result from the same activity
• they are of similar formats and relate to a particular function.

A series may consist of only one item.