Alphabetic filing rules - Fundamentals for records managers

In the rush to automate records, records managers may overlook the need to establish a sound basis for manual filing systems. Transition to an automated system is more efficient when based on a sound manual system that has good documentation and is consistent. The automated system should be selected to run parallel with the manual system. One way of establishing a smooth transition has been addressed by ARMA International in the simplification and standardization of alphabetic filing rules. Alphabetic filing rules are the basis for all manual filing methods. Numerical, geographic, and subject filing methods all use alphabetic rules. The principles used in electronic databases are closely aligned with alphabetic filing rules in the way data is stored.