Prerequisite

• Access the menu Configuration > Record retention schedule (AR037).

Overview

The registered retention schedule defines the movement timeline, standardizes archiving criteria, establishes the final disposition of documents, and indicates the areas or responsible users for each stage of the process.

Through the Record retention schedule (AR037) menu, all retention schedules that can be associated with SoftExpert Document categories—with Archive control enabled—are registered.

This feature structures the document life cycle according to the organization’s archival management practices.

Each tab of the retention schedule must be configured according to the archival stages to be applied, such as Current (AR022), Intermediate (AR023), Media burning (AR024) and Final destination.
Every enabled stage determines the workflow the documents will follow after archiving.

Configure retention schedule

1. Access Configuration > Record retention schedule (AR037).

2. Click on the toolbar.

3. Enter an identifier and a name for the schedule.

4. In the Transfer form section, fill in:

• Issuance period: time allowed for issuing the transfer form.
• Receipt period: time allowed for receiving the transfer form.

5. Fill in the Description field with relevant information.

6. Configure the following tabs according to the steps you wish to work through in archiving the documents:

Configure the Current tab

1. Select Current to enable the current archiving stage in the retention schedule.

2. Enter the archiving deadline, defining the period (days, months, or years) the responsible user will have to perform the archiving in this stage.

3. Enter the retention time, specifying how long the documents will remain stored in the current stage.

4. Define the retention start date by selecting one of the following options:

• Document date, to start the count from the document’s effective date.
• Archiving date, to start counting from the moment the document is archived in the current stage.
• Attribute, to start counting based on a date-type attribute; select the corresponding attribute in the enabled field.

5. Select the archiving responsible, choosing one of the options:

• Registration user, assigning the document’s owner as the responsible user.
• Security list, considering all users with archiving permission as responsible.
• Specific group, selecting a team registered in SoftExpert Document; use the buttons beside the field to include, edit, or clear the group.

Configure the Intermediate tab

1. Select Intermediate to enable the intermediate archiving stage.

2. Enter the archiving deadline, defining the period (days, months, or years) for the responsible user to archive documents in this stage.

3. Enter the retention time, specifying how long documents will remain stored in this stage.

4. Define the retention start date by selecting one of the following:

• Document date
• Archiving date
• Attribute (select the date-type attribute)
• Current retention date, to start counting after the end of the retention period of the Current stage

5. Select the archiving responsible, choosing:

• Registration user
• Security list
• Specific group

Configure the Media burning tab

1. Select Media burning to enable the control of recording documents on physical or digital media.

2. Enter the archiving deadline, defining the period (days, months, or years) for the responsible user to record the documents onto media.

3. Select the archiving responsible, choosing:

• Registration user
• Security list
• Specific group

Configure the Final destination tab

1. Select the type of final disposition:

• Permanent retention, to store the document permanently.
• Disposal, to eliminate the document at the end of its life cycle.

2. Configure the parameters according to the selected option:

If Permanent retention is selected, define the storage location:

• Associate new repository, to archive the document in a newly created repository.
• Send to external file, to send the document to an external physical archive outside the organization.

If Disposal is selected, select which record will be eliminated:

• Physical record, to eliminate the paper document.
• Electronic record, to eliminate the electronic file (when applicable).
• Document, to eliminate the record created in SoftExpert Document.

3. Enter the archiving deadline, defining the period for executing the final disposition.

4. Select the final disposition responsible, choosing:

• Registration user
• Security list
• Specific group

5. Click to apply the settings.

Conclusion

After configuring the retention schedule, the defined criteria automatically guide the life cycle of documents using Archive control.

Each enabled stage determines movements, deadlines, and responsible users, ensuring standardization and traceability throughout the process.

This configuration supports the proper execution of retention, storage, and final disposition policies, ensuring greater organization and compliance in archival management.

The next step is to associate the retention schedule with the desired document category.