Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any additional questions you need answered, send us an email on the contact page, or email bruce@catalystigtools.com.
​Why would I need Catalyst IG?
If your EDRMS solution is to be based on the Microsoft SharePoint platform, Catalyst IG tools will greatly increase the speed of deployment. Without Catalyst IG, your entire SharePoint deployment would have to be manually created, which can take months or years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees. Catalyst IG tools not only greatly reduces the total time to deployment, but also greatly eliminates inevitable manual errors in SharePoint deployment.
Does it matter what records management software we buy?
​No. You may use records management software for SharePoint, such as Gimmal Records Manager, Collabware CLM, AvePoint Opus, RecordPoint R365, or Microsoft Purview. If you purchase an IDP, or if you have had RIMtech or Catalyst develop your retention schedule, the retention schedule will include product-specific retention rules, based on the retention Schedule.
What is an EDRMS?
EDRMS stands for Electronic Document and Records Management Systems. They are sometimes referred to as ERMS (Electronic Records Management Systems) or occasionally DMS (Document Management Systems). A business information system in which the records of an organization are created, captured, maintained, and disposed of. Such a system also ensures their preservation for evidential purposes, accurate and efficient updating, timely availability, and control of access to them only by authorized personnel. An EDRMS includes rules and procedures governing the storage, use, maintenance and disposition of records and/or information about records, and the tools and mechanisms used to implement these rules.
An EDRMS delivers specified recordkeeping controls. Most systems can manage electronic and physical records. Many are comprised of general-purpose content management systems that deliver recordkeeping capability. Some are certified compliant with recordkeeping standards such as US DoD 5015.2 or ICA Module 2. An EDRMS can be configured to store exclusively records, however it will typically store all three of the following categories of items:
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Declared Records
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Non-Records
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Non-Declared (unmanaged) records
An EDRMS typically consists of two components that work in tandem:
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A content management system (e.g. Microsoft SharePoint, IBM content manager, M-Files, etc.)
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Records management software. Often takes the form of an ad in or plug-in which applies recordkeeping control to the content stored in the content management system.
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Who is RIMtech?
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RIMtech Consulting is a sister company of Catalyst IG tools. RIMtech delivers vendor-neutral electronic recordkeeping training and consulting services. The company has a 20 year history of delivering services to clients in all markets and utilizing a wide range of technology solutions. RIMtech has developed a robust EDRMS deployment methodology which ensures rapid deployment of EDRMS projects, while assuring that recordkeeping compliance is achieved and can be proven. RIMtech uses the Catalyst IG tools to deploy EDRMS projects for the SharePoint platform. Click here to learn more about RIMtech consulting.
Who is RIMtech?
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RIMtech Consulting is a sister company of Catalyst IG tools. RIMtech delivers vendor-neutral electronic recordkeeping training and consulting services. The company has a 20 year history of delivering services to clients in all markets and utilizing a wide range of technology solutions. RIMtech has developed a robust EDRMS deployment methodology which ensures rapid deployment of EDRMS projects, while assuring that recordkeeping compliance is achieved and can be proven. RIMtech uses the Catalyst IG tools to deploy EDRMS projects for the SharePoint platform. Click here to learn more about RIMtech consulting.
​Do I need to use the RIMtech EDRMS Deployment methodology?
Yes. The Catalyst IG tools are based on the RIMtech EDRMS methodology. This methodology has a prescribed approach to the creation and naming convention for SharePoint libraries. When and how to utilize SharePoint document sets for case categories. The SharePoint metadata (columns) that the tools create conforms to the specifications outlined in the RIMtech methodology.
​Will the Catalyst IG tools work with non-SharePoint content management platforms?
No. Catalyst IG tools are exclusively for SharePoint online.
​Can I change the metadata of an IDP prior to deployment?
​No. Each category you deploy has a predefined set of metadata (columns in SharePoint). Any changes to the metadata must be made in SharePoint directly, following Catalyst deployment.
​How often can the tools be utilized?
At this time, as often as necessary. This does not mean an unlimited number of times however. Catalyst and/or RIMtech will typically charge their normal hourly service rates to run the tools. The tools are generally hands free to operate and don’t take long to run. A small amount of setup is sometimes necessary, in order to establish and test that we have sufficient SharePoint access permissions to run our tools.
In a future release clients will be able to run the tools themselves, and there will be no limit on how often you can run them.
What do I pay for?
​If you purchase an IDP, you get the usage of the tools, the retention schedule, the SharePoint IA, and a small package of services time for us to run the tools on your behalf.
​Will the Catalyst IG tools work with the on-premises version of SharePoint?
​No. Catalyst IG tools are exclusively for SharePoint online.
We are a municipality. Do we need to use RIMtech services?
Not if you are using a Municipal IDP. The Catalyst IG Municipal IDP (Industry Deployment Package) is a complete turnkey solution. The RIMtech methodology has already been applied, and the IDP contains a full municipal retention schedule, with a complete and comprehensive SharePoint IA. You simply have to adjust the retention schedule by removing unneeded categories, customize the IA as and where needed for your organization, then proceed to immediate deployment.
If for any reason you wish to extend or otherwise customize the out-of-the-box data, you can utilize RIMtech and/or Catalyst services.
​Who operates the Catalyst IG tools?
​All Catalyst tools are operated as a SaaS (software as a service). They are run by RIMtech or Catalyst personnel only. The future version of the tools can be run by you.
​What security permissions are necessary to run the Catalyst IG Tools?
​We require administrator-level security permissions to the target SharePoint site in which the tools are being operated. Our tools require the ability to create libraries, columns, and folders in the target site.
What is involved in customizing the SharePoint IA?
The SharePoint IA (Information Architecture) includes the SharePoint libraries, metadata (columns), managed metadata lists, and library views. Our IA does not always know the values within certain lists, as they are specific to your particular organization. Therefore we populate such lists with placeholder values only, as shown below:
Authorized Vendor
Vendor 1
Vendor 2
Vendor 3
Facility
Facility 1
Facility 2
Facility 3
Business Unit
Business Unit 1
Business Unit2
Vehicle Number
Vehicle Number 1
Vehicle Number 2
Vehicle Number 3
Following SharePoint deployment, these placeholder values will exist in SharePoint as managed metadata lists in the SharePoint Termstore (taxonomy). You then have to go into SharePoint and manually alter the values to suit your organization, as shown below:
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Authorized Vendors
ABC repairs
Smith’s Consulting Services
Lovely Landscaping Services
Facility
Headquarters 123 Main Street
Mirror Lake Water Treatment Plant
Little Tykes Daycare
Business Unit
Finance
Taxation
Payroll
Research
Engineering
Planning
Geotech
Legislative Services
Human Resources
Labour Relations
Talent Recruitment
Benefits
Vehicle Number
707
708
709
How many Categories are in the Municipal IDP retention schedule?
Roughly 2,500. Simply remove the categories you do need, then load the remaining into SharePoint.