Date of Creation of an E-Document
How to determine the creation date of an e-document?
The date of creation of an e-document is one of the metadata that must appear in an electronic document.
In the digital era, where paper documents give way to their electronic counterparts, precisely determining the creation date of an e-document becomes crucial. It is one of the essential metadata that not only facilitates identification but also affects the legal compliance and validity of the document. In this article, we discuss how to accurately determine the creation date of an e-document and why it is so important.
Development of the concept of the creation date of an e-document
In traditional paper documents, the creation date is usually identical to the date of manual signing. In the world of electronic documents, this issue becomes more complex. Ultimately, the creation date of an e-document is related to the moment when the content of the document is finally shaped and all edits and changes are completed.
Using the date contained within the document content
One common approach is to use the date that may appear inside the document itself. This is especially important for documents automatically generated by systems, which often contain the date of internal creation. Using this date as the creation date can be justified if it is the moment when the document content obtained its final form.
No date in the document content – Metadata to the rescue
If the document does not contain a clear date, we turn to metadata. These are pieces of information stored in the structure of the electronic file, which include important information about the document, including its creation date. In such a case, the creation date may be considered the date recorded in the metadata.
Why is an accurate creation date crucial?
Accurately determining the creation date of an e-document is not only a practical matter but also a legal one. A correctly determined date affects compliance with legal regulations and the validity of the document in case of audits or court proceedings. Moreover, an accurate date allows tracking the chronology of actions and events within the organization, which is important in many aspects of document management.
➢ The creation date of an e-document should be considered as the date on which it was finally created, meaning after which its content was no longer changed.
➢ It is considered good practice to use the date contained within the document content.
However, if there is no date in the document – the appropriate date is considered to be the document creation date recorded in the metadata.
Precise guidelines for recording metadata in the XML schema can be found in the technical specification issued on Regulation on employee documentation December 10, 2018.
What other metadata, besides the creation date, should employee documentation contain? Certainly documentation identifier – you can read about it HERE.
Digitalization · e-File · e-document · E-FILE