An Electronic Records Management system is explained as a computer program or a set of applications developed to track and store records. The ERM utilises precise controls to command and maintain activities related to the access and transfer of electronic records which aids in protection against unauthorised access and changes that could be applied to the electronic records (Brooks " Smallwood, 2012). The system can be used to supervise the creation and maintenance of files within classification arrangements, administer retention and clearance schedules, and manage access and use. The ERM system should be able to seize records developed by the business systems and applications of a company. It should be able to capture a record together with any related metadata and arrange them within a classification scheme. The extent of metadata that is to be attributed to electronic records is more significant because their implicit metadata is different from the physical files.
An electronic record can have a variety of distinct parts or digital objects. The system that is used to manage these different components must have the ability to sustain and reconstruct all of them as a genuine and reliable duplicate of the original record. As explained above ERM is the sphere of management that is wholly responsible for controlling the entirety of the electronic documents from the development to the disposition. There are four key drivers in the management of electronic records in the organisation. They are compliance, business continuity, better effectiveness, and improve efficiency (Brooks " Smallwood, 2012).
The Benefits of Electronic Records Management Systems
Numerous benefits have been experienced since the introduction of ERM systems to organisations. One of the benefits is the single point of storage for records which ensures that files do not get lost as all of them are stored in a central location, and even when a file is classified wrongly, it will be easily located using a search functionality that is advanced (Brooks " Smallwood, 2012). The second benefit of ERM systems is that through the use of advanced search functionality to find records decision-making gets improved. The easy access to company records results in better decision-making as it helps enhance the day to day operations of a company and the capability to come up with correct and well-informed decisions. The third benefit is that the system ensures that there is an orderly process which standardises the manner in which records are changed and updated. It provides some advantages like the ability to correct earlier mistakes that were done on a previous version of the document.
The fourth benefit of Electronic Records Management system is that allows the multiple use of data using the same information. For instance the ability to view a single record by different users in different locations at the same time while the paper-based only a single user could only see the documents. The final advantage acquired from ERM systems is that it gives a variety of opportunities to manage and safeguard confidential records. The ERM system involves the application of an audit trail on every file allowing the user to quickly see the people and documents that they viewed, what changes they made, and when they did it (Brooks " Smallwood, 2012). Unlike the cabinet where unauthorised people leaving no physical evidence could access records.
Database Management System
The Database Management System is program that is used for the formation and administration of databases. It gives users and computer experts a systematic way of establishing, recovering, updating, and managing information. The DBMS enables the end user to develop, read, update, and edit data in the database. The system acts as a connection between the end users or operation softwares and database and makes sure that the information is always organised and continues to be easily reachable (MAHAPATRA, 2013). The DBMS controls three crucial aspects which are the data, database engine which enables the access, locking, and modification of information, and the database schema that explains the logical structure of the database. These three crucial aspects help in giving adequacy, data integrity, security, and same administration procedures. The DBMS supports administration tasks such as change management, backup and recovery, and performance monitoring. A lot of the DBMS is also responsible for automatic restarts, recovery, rollbacks, logging, and auditing activities.
Examples of DBMS include Clipper, dBase, FileMaker, FoxPro, MySQL, Microsoft Access, SQL Server, Oracle, and RDBMS (MAHAPATRA, 2013). It is crucial that database management systems have a method of communicating with each other as there many of them that are available. As a result of these most of the database software have an Open Database Connectivity driver that enables the mixing of different databases. Oracle, IBM DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server dominate the high-end markets of DBMS. Microsoft Access and FileMaker Pro dominate small organisations and home users (MAHAPATRA, 2013).
Advantages of Database Management System
The use of DBMS to store and control information has its advantages as well as overheads. One of its most significant benefits is that it gives the end users and application programmers the ability to connect and utilize similar information while maintaining data integrity. The best protection and maintenance of data as it is being shared is through DBMS rather than establishing new redundancies of duplicate information reserved in new documents for every new function (MAHAPATRA, 2013). The system gives a single store of information which is accessed by many users in a way that is controlled. The DBMS also provides data security, logging and auditing of activity, uniform procedures for data, information abstraction and independence, strong data integrity abilities, and locking mechanism for simultaneous access. It also provides simple access applying a standard application programming interface, capacity to retrieve from system failures and faults including recoverability and restartability quickly, and experienced computer expert to balance the demands for many applications making use of the same information (MAHAPATRA, 2013).
Another benefit of this system is that it can be applied to enforce a reasonable, analytical management on the information. It also gives economy of scale for handling significant amounts of information as it is designed for such services (MAHAPATRA, 2013). Lastly, the DBMS has to take up additional work to achieve these benefits which result in overheads. The system will occupy a lot of memory and CPU than other simple data storage software. It is also evident that all kinds of DBMS have demands for different forms and levels of software resources.
Conclusion
The Electronic Records Management tracks and safeguards for records and enables the viewing of one document by multiple users from different locations. It also simplifies locating and organising of documents. Unlike old cabinet method of storing records, the ERM system it safeguards confidential records whereby no unauthorised person can acquire them and if they try there will be physical evidence left. The Database Management System has simplified and enabled end users to develop, acquire, update, and control information. It also ensures that end users and application programmers can connect and utilize similar information without compromising the integrity of data.
References
Brooks, C., " Smallwood, R. F. (2012). Electronic records management: electronic records management principles, best practices, standards " implementation issues. Boston, MA: IMERGE Consulting, E-Records Institute.
MAHAPATRA, R. P. (2013). DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. S.l.: KHANNA .
