Record Routing Types
While the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Records Center Web service does not rely on any SharePoint–specific concepts or technologies, it does use one technique to ensure your records are stored in the proper location and that they contain the necessary information: the record routing type.
Using Record Routing Types to Organize Record Storage
The Records Center Web service uses the concept of a record routing type as a means to organize storage of similar types of records, without having to resort to SharePoint–specific functionality such as content types. At its simplest, a record routing type name correlates to a specific storage location for files. For each record routing type there is one and only one storage location. Files submitted to the Records Center Web service with a given record routing type name are stored in the record routing type storage location. For example, if you want to store all your contracts together in the records center, you could create a record routing type named Contract.
Record routing types help organize content in the records center. Also, using record routing type names rather than passing explicit storage locations to the records center interface adds another level of indirection. This indirection provides the following advantages:
Users do not need to know anything about the records center structure to submit files. Record managers can organize the records center as they want, and then simply provide record routing type names and descriptions that the users can understand.
Record managers can control how submitted files are processed, without having to change the underlying structure of their records center.
Each record routing type consists of the following metadata:
- Name The name of the record routing type, such as Contract or Product Spec.
Description Optional. A short description of the record routing type.
Default Whether this is the default record routing type to assign to records that do not match any other record routing type.
Location The storage location for files of this record routing type.
Aliases Optional. You can associate multiple aliases to a single record routing type. This enables files submitted with an alias as their record routing type name to be stored in the record routing type location. For example, for a Product Spec record routing type, you might specify Spec and Feature Spec as aliases. Files submitted with either alias are then stored in the Product Spec location.
You can use the Web service to query a records center about the names and properties for its record routing types. For more information, see RecordsRepository Web service.
Multiple document libraries can submit files of the same record routing type, and each document library can submit files of multiple record routing types.
In cases where a third-party application acts as a records center, the exact implementation of how that application routes the file to the appropriate record routing type location might vary, and would of course be hidden from the Web service.