Summary: | This thesis examines the role of data interchange standards in helping to meet archival
and records management requirements in two types of electronic message handling systems,
electronic mail and electronic data interchange. A detailed study of two data interchange
standards, the X.400 Message Handling standard and the X12 Electronic Data Interchange
Format standard, is conducted. These two standards facilitate the reliable transmission and
communication of interpersonal messages between individuals, and information relating to
business transactions between computers.
These standards are closely examined to determine to what extent they are able to
satisfy the functional requirements for recordkeeping identified as part of a project
conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. The use of standards to satisfy functional
requirements is one of the tactics identified by the Pittsburgh team. The others are policy
development, system design, and system requirements' implementation.
An electronic mail system in use at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and
an electronic data interchange system planned for implementation at the same organization
are examined to determine to what extent these systems are able to satisfy functional
requirements. Recommendations as to the use of other tactics to satisfy requirements are
made.
This study determines that the standards examined are restricted to satisfying
requirements relating to the capture, maintenance, and usability of records. They are limited to ensuring that messages are reliably transmitted, and that the identities of users are
verified as correct. They are unable to ensure the authentication, reliability, or completeness
of records as these terms are understood in archival theory.
The use by the Pittsburgh team of the terms authentic, reliable, and complete is also
shown as being problematic. In the Pittsburgh schema, these terms relate to the capacity of
systems to ensure the safe flow of messages between users, not the authenticity of the
messages themselves.
|