A Domain-Specific RM&IG Solution Designed to Support the Implementation of ISAD(G) Arian Rajh, PhD, Assist. Prof., FFZG Krešimir Meze, Omega software d.o.o

A Domain-Specific RM&IG Solution Designed to Support the

Implementation of ISAD(G)

Arian Rajh, PhD, Assist. Prof., FFZGKrešimir Meze, Omega software d.o.o.

Table of Content

Part I: Professional concepts1. Assumptions, concepts and terms2. Process transformation

Part II: Key development concepts3. Key development concepts

4. Conclusion5. References

Part IProfessional concepts

Arian Rajh, PhD, Assist. Prof., FFZG

1. Assumptions, concepts and terms

Characteristics of public organisations (based on Brumec, Dobrović, Tomičić, 2006)

1. Public organisations have large quantities of case-related documentation

2. Workflows have high significance for successful case management in public organisations

3. Public organisations are under auspices of archival authorities

1. Assumptions, concepts and terms

Management of document and records is set out by:

1. RM practice2. Related practices3. Legislation4. RM related standards, ISO 15489, ISAD(G) etc.

Terms, concepts and functions are carrying a specific RM and archival meaning.

2. Process transformation

Documents and records are used in processes of public organisations as:

• input of processes, • result,• supporting material

RM processes are complex and already-defined.


Basic processes/groups

•Records management•Records retrieval, distribution and use•(Archival) storage management•Archival description

Process-oriented system is required due to the complexity of the field.


Records management

•Registration, classification and retention, permanent preservation/disposal, metadata management

•Process improvement1. Capturing accurate metadata required for retrieval from case

management and business registries2. Automation of the retention procedure if retention schedule

is connected with case management tool that provides metadata on the retention period start date

3. Support for disposal process4. Automatic creation of the XML list of series and subseries in

body of records of an organisation


Records retrieval, distribution and use

•Capturing event and use metadata facilitate usability

•Such metadata can be captured using contemporary technology - users registries, barcodes etc., but non- repudiation should be ensured


Process improvement related to registration and retrieval:

•Tools should ensure extensibility, connectivity and modularity

• Successful records management depends on high quality metadata• Metadata unavailable to records managers could be captured and

managed in main business registries• Metadata from business registries and case management

facilitates retrieval and ensures reliability


(Archival) storage management

•Technical units are placed in storage and records manager pairs technical unit with location information •Simple process… with issues• Encapsulation of technical units, storage space for new accruals

•Filling could be enhanced by hierarchical organisation of storage and using barcode or RFID technology for pairing units and storage related metadata• Improvement through the usage of RM and archival

metadata and triggers for archiving electronic records


Archival description

• It is needed to define records schedule in order to perform the process of archival description on the list of existing RM/archival units•Archival description ensures that creator gains

archival management functionality, ensures real archival organisation of emerging material•Each registered technical unit pertains to some

archival unit, archival units are hierarchically interconnected and described according to ISAD(G)

Part IIKey development concepts

Krešimir Meze, Omega software d.o.o.

3. Key development concepts

Software solutions created with common methods and programming tools are still

difficult to develop and maintain.

1. High level of business knowledge is required from system architect and developers

2. It is too easy to make mistakes in the design phase and errors in implementation

3. Adaptation to to new technology trends takes too much time and money


Taken approach was based on the innovative use of domain specific language (DSL).

Kind of language based on terms, keywords and rules originating from some specific domain.

Some examples:•H2O• Invoice, Billing•Record, Technical unit, Class, Disposal•HTML, SQL


To develop such system two prerequisites need to be met.

1. DSL and programming concepts should be build Encapsulate functionality and business behavior from RM domain and carry behavior compliance with business rules. Programmers will use this concepts to describe application model in DSL scripts.

2. DSL execution platform should be implemented Software component that executes DSL scripts written by programmers and generate server application, database and communication services consumed by user interface or other systems and applications.

3. Key development conceptsImplementation was done by using Rhetos open

source development platform.

Improves quality of the application design process, implemented solutions and simplifies long-term support.

Extremely extensible, so new concepts can be added and whole internal infrastructure can be changed from the default to any other required.


The next step is to achieve compliance with MoReq2010® specification.

MoReq2010® aims to provide a comprehensive but simple and easily understood set of requirements for electronic record management system.

This goal will be achieved by creating MoReq based DSL, and early version was already shown at the DLM Forum and received full support.

4. Conclusion

1. Using DSLs enables the creation of systems that already contain domain-related professional logic

2. The usage of ISAD(G) enables the creation of description of archival material according to immanent archival instructions and enhances archival practice of a public organization

3. Moreq2010 based DSL could be the basis for the creation of records management and archival systems that would fit a large variety of organizations

5. References

• ARHiNET Croatia, http://arhinet.arhiv.hr (April 2013)• Brumec, Dobrović, Tomičić: The Model of the DMS in the Public Sector.

Journal of Information and Organizational Sciences, Vol.30, No.1, 2006• ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description, 2nd ed. • ISO 15489-1:2001 Information and documentation - Records

management - Part 1: General• ISO 14589-2:2001 Information and documentation - Records

management - Part 2: Guidelines• Rhetos, http://www.rhetos.org• MoReq2010 Modular Requirements for Records Systems,

http://moreq2010.eu/ (April 2013)• Reference model for an open archival information system (OAIS),

Recommended practice CCSDS 650.0-M-2, Magenta book, June 2012, http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/650x0m2.pdf (March 2013)• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), http://www.w3.org (June 2013)

Thank you!

Arian Rajh, PhD, Assist. Prof., FFZG, [email protected]šimir Meze, Omega software d.o.o., [email protected]