Records

What Records are For

A record is the completed evidence in your quality system. It is usually created from a template, which describes how the record should look. Because the template already carries its filing location and its reviewers and approvers, a record created from it inherits that routing automatically. This means the system already knows where the record should be stored and who needs to review and approve it, which removes a common source of confusion: having a finished document but not knowing where to file it or whom to send it to.

Record Types

Each record is assigned a Record Type. The two types are QMS Record and TechDoc. The type determines which set of categories the record is filed under.

The product version is set on the record itself when it is created, not on the template.

Creating a Record From a Template

Under QMS Records, select Records, then New (you can also use New QMS Record from within a category).

Select the QMS Template the record is based on. The list draws from released document versions. If the lookup looks empty, press Enter to browse.

Complete the Title and confirm the Owner, then set the Record Type.

Note: If a lookup field looks empty when you click into it, it is not necessarily empty. Type to search, or press Enter to browse the full list of available options. This applies to QMS Template, Record Category, Record Subcategory, and Owner.

Filing a Record

Choose the Record Category for the record. If the lookup looks empty, press Enter to browse.

Then choose a Record Subcategory. This becomes available only after a category is selected.

If a record is created from a template that has no category defined, it is filed under a default category (shown as - Uncategorized -) so it is never left unfiled.

Record Status and Approval

A record moves from Record Created to Approved. Unlike a document, a record has no training or release plan step, and review is optional.

In the records list, each record shows its current status, such as Draft, Review Pending, Approval Pending, or Approved.

The Approval Details tab on a record shows where it stands, with Review Required, Reviewed, Approved, and Approved Date.

Releasing a Record

Releasing a record happens in the Record Release Details window. A side panel lists the record's Record Roles, its Authors, Reviewers, and Approvers, which may be empty if none are assigned.

To start, open the release. In the Release Request section, add an optional message in Request Details, then select Initiate Release.

The record then moves to approval. The approver can Approve, Reject, or Cancel Release, and can add optional Approval Comments.

To approve, confirm the electronic signature statement, enter your Signature PIN, and select Approve and Sign.

Once approved, the record's status becomes Approved.

Viewing and Managing The Records List

The records list works the same way as the category list, with the same toolbar actions described on the Categories page. Its view selector offers All QMS Records (the default), Inactive QMS Records, Records Category View, and Records Subcategory View.