Losing materials is very easy as the material moves through the production pipeline if you don't have a strict record-keeping system. When you are building a database either for a client or for yourself, it is important not to lose any of the documents. A logbook should be kept and all materials should be entered in the log. When materials are taken out for abstracting and indexing, data entry, or either of the proofreading cycles, they should be signed out so that the person keeping records or looking for data will know at any time exactly where all materials are located and where they are in the production process. Once the material has been entered and delivered to the vendor, it is extremely important to keep an archive of the system.
Most places keep two archives, or backups.
We make duplicates of all materials entered on diskettes so that during the production process the duplicate, or archive, can be stored off-premises so that at least one copy of the entered material is preserved in case of natural disaster, theft or accidental loss. Most of our clients require that we retain an archive of their data for a specified period after the material has been delivered to the online vendor. Throughout the process of building a database, from making editorial decisions to entering the material, you must learn to balance the seemingly conflicting goals of quality and costs. The more times a record is proofread, for example, the fewer errors you will have, but it is more expensive to produce each record. These groups do cost in personnel time but seem to pay off in the file production.