Below is a draft portion of an article I am working on, it deals with
migration issues. Hope this helps. Bob

Development of a Migration Strategy
In this section the term migration will be used in its broadest sense.
Migration involves any or all of the following activities:
        a. Changing from one version of the software to another
        b. Changing or updating from one version of an operating system to
another
        c. Converting from one type of operating system to another
        d. Changing the type media the information is stored on
        e. Moving from one hardware platform to another
        f. Moving from one type of software to another
        g. Moving from one storage medium to another

Examples of the above would be:
        -Updating a Word 5 document to Word 2000
        -Changing from a Mac Operating System to Unix
        -Moving from a 12 inch optical disc to a CD-ROM
        -Converting an Excel Spreadsheet to Lotus 123
        -Digitizing a microfilmed document
        -Converting a digitized document to microfilm
The development of a migration strategy begins with the awareness that the
volatility and fragility of electronic records requires ongoing efforts to
insure that electronic records are accessible when required. This ongoing
effort is not only a technical one but also a financial one. Each year a
percentage of electronic media will require testing to determine information
retrievability, physical condition of the media and determine extent of
image or information degradation. The cost of information conversion,
reduplication and/or purchase of new hardware is also a part of your
migration strategy. A migration strategy requires a commitment to preserving
and making available information/records that exists in an electronic media.
It involves collaboration between IT, records management and the bean
counters. The initial impulse is to view migration as deferred maintenance,
sure the building will look a bit shabby but we'll put the money back next
year and it will be fine. Unlike a building though putting off the
maintenance of your electronic records will only escalate your costs but
also place the efficient retrieval of records in jeopardy.
There are several decisions that are the foundation upon which the migration
strategy is built.

1. What records will be converted to an electronic format or will be
retained in electronic form. What is the retention period of these records?
Are they short-term records, long-term or permanent?
2. If the records are long-term or permanent will they be converted to a
stable format for preservation purposes with an electronic copy serving as
the daily use copy?
3. If the records are to retained in an electronic format will they be
converted into subsequent versions of software and hardware or will
information be maintained using original software and hardware?
4. Who will be in charge of the migration program? IT, outsourced or the
originating agency?
5. The value of the information. Is it critical? The value of the
information plays a role in the method of preservation/migration. According
to report published by the Gartner Group each time a record is migrated up
to 5% of the information may be lost.
6. The access rate to the information is also a determining factor in the
manner in which electronic records are migrated. What is the rate that the
information is accessed? Does this rate change with the age of the record?
For example, in the first two years of the records lifecycle the information
may be accessed on a daily basis. As it moves toward middle age the rate may
decrease to weekly or monthly. Finally as the record nears the end of its
lifecycle the record may be rarely retrieved.
7. The time sensitivity of the record is another determinant in how the
record needs to be managed over its lifespan. Is it critical that the record
be accessible online? Is time less a factor? Does the time criticality
mirror the access rate? Once again the answer to this question
8. The choice of media for the maintenance of the electronic records will
create decision points for how long between refreshing and quality control
examinations need to be performed. In electronic media the notion of getting
what you pay for is a truism. The longer the record has to be preserved the
higher the quality of the medium used to record it. CD-RW disc that go for
35 to 40 cents in quantity are not constructed with the same high quality
material that more expensive CDs are made with.
9. Will there be a master copy of the record as well as a storage copy? As
with most media the more often it is used the greater the deterioration.
        Media used by the public quickly become exposed to environmental
conditions that are less than optimal for preservation. A decision to have a
use copy and a storage copy will also color your migration decision.
Maintaining an original in environmentally controlled storage will add to
your annual costs as well as the cost of making use copies as required.
10. Who is responsible for implementing the necessary changes. Who makes the
decision about the media to migrate to, who will decide what needs to be
done if samples that are tested show an unacceptable rate of failure?
Responsibilities for specific actions have to be delineated and
responsibilities both operational and fiscal have to be identified.
The above list details many of the issues that have to be considered in the
preparation of your migration strategy. Each of these factors is dependent
on your particular situation. For some money becomes the critical issue
while for others the need to provide long-term instant access is critical.
The end goal of the migration strategy is constant across the spectrum of
individual needs that of insuring access to needed information throughout
their lifecycle. The migration strategy allows you to project needs and
costs over a number of years. The strategy has to be a living document in
order to meet changing technical issues as well as the needs of your
customers. An annual review is necessary not only to make any routine
changes but also to analyze how well the plan is working. Are the tasks
being carried on time and properly, are the quality control results
documented and is upcoming technology being reviewed for integration into
the program. A migration plan has to last as long as the records that it
covers. The decisions that are made need to be documented as well as the
underlying thought processes used in reaching that decision. This avoids the
common problem of second-guessing or wondering why an action was taken.
Without this documentation changes may be made that have unintended
consequences.

Robert F. Nawrocki CRM
Electronic Records Coordinator
Records Management and Imaging Services Division
The Library of Virginia
804.692.3505
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-----Original Message-----
From: Nancie Laing [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 2:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Digital Records Migration Policies


Hi all,
I am looking for examples of Digital Records Migration Policies. I have
used some of the information from the LVA web page, but I would like to see
what others have put together. Please e-mail me anything that you have on
migration policies that may help. Thanks, Nancie Laing
Chesapeake Records Management Department. 757-382-6713
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