These options need further research and it is unlikely that any single approach will be suitable for application to all types of electronic records. Data migration is and will be a complex procedure, and is likely to result in some degree of data loss or degradation. Documentation of the migration process. Subsequent users of records will need to determine which characteristics of a document were lost in each format conversion, the reasoning behind the migration strategy chosen and the authority responsible for implementing it. The development of migration agents.
Some research needs to be done into cost models for the different approaches to migration.
Hedstrom asked whether the requirements for the long-term preservation of electronic records is fundamentally different from the requirements for the preservation of other types of digital information. The last afternoon provided a forum for defining consensus, and at the risk of distortion, here is a personal interpretation of the main themes of the meeting. There appeared to be a strong feeling that research alone was not enough and that an implementation strategy was also required. Another important point was that the archives and records management communities should not be afraid to learn from mistakes, and should not expect a perfect solution first time. Increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners might also help to solve problems and facilitate the implementation process.