Summary

In this chapter, you examined the new records management features SharePoint Server 2007 offers to organizations that have legal or regulatory compliance requirements. The chapter began by discussing the concept of document management from a high-level view and emphasizing how critical a document management plan is for organizations that deal with large numbers of electronic documents. You reviewed the major elements of a document management plan, including defining the key roles in the organization, defining compliance requirements, and writing a file plan. You then looked at the process of implementing the file plan in SharePoint Server 2007, beginning with the creation of content types and a Records Center site. You learned how to configure policies on the documents in the Records Repository and how to create and release holds in response to regulatory or legal needs.

You then considered the issue of security in the Records Repository site and the importance of defining a more restrictive set of permissions than in most other sites. You took a look at the steps required to enable users to send documents to the Records Repository directly from other sites and through Outlook 2007. You then considered the different mechanisms for deleting documents when they had reached their expiration date and how to retain them if it became necessary to do so. Finally, you looked at the various reporting options available in SharePoint Server 2007 for viewing audit logs and policy usage patterns.