What Is Era 2.0?
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had initiated efforts to modernize and upgrade its Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system to ERA 2.0. NARA uses ERA to preserve and manage U.S. Federal electronic records. In fact, since 2008, it has handled over 900 terabytes of electronic records! It’s also the system that Federal agencies use to submit records schedules to NARA for approval and to transfer all permanent records.
Its new version offers updated functionality, improved design, and AWS GovCloud-based architecture. For example, the updated platform will allow users to see “the current status of all pending agency actions in user dashboards,” rather than splitting that information out into a separate, manually-generated report. Altogether, NARA hopes ERA 2.0 will be easier to use and more helpful for Federal records managers.
Era 2.0 Is Now Live!
The new system went live on September 18 with full functionality for scheduling, with most pre-existing ERA data migrated into the new system. This follows a period of limited access since earlier this year. “Since June, ERA 2.0 has been available for agencies to submit transfer requests,” U.S. Chief Records Officer Laurence Brewer wrote in a memo. “Now, the system will have full functionality for records scheduling. The majority of previous ERA data, including records schedules and transfer requests, has been migrated into the system. All previously existing user roles have also been migrated.”
For that reason, getting started with the new system should be fairly straightforward for anyone with an existing ERA account. NARA recommends users log into the new ERA 2.0 system as soon as possible, if they haven’t already, in order to verify their migrated profile is correct.
The Transition Has Faced Some Challenges
Sam McClure, electronic records program director for NARA, acknowledged that their team has been dealing with some bugs and other problems during the launch process. “I’m not pleased to speak towards data migration errors that we’re needing to correct,” McClure said during a recent Records and Information Discussion Group meeting. He indicates that only a tiny fraction – 2,000 out of 104,000 forms – have been affected, however.
Since going live earlier in September, NARA has released at least one major update to the system with problem fixes, “including the ability to export records schedules as pdf files and to allow for bulk actions within the transfer request (TR) process.” In the meantime, the current list of known errors can be found here.
Stayed Tuned for Continuing Updates and More Information
The transition continues to be a work in progress. Users can keep abreast of changes and updates at the central ERA webpage. NARA has also created an agency checklist that serves as a guide to getting started, including steps new users need to take as well as links to relevant information for learning the new system.
About PSL
PSL is a global outsource provider whose mission is to provide solutions that facilitate the movement of business-critical information between and among government agencies, business enterprises, and their partners. For more information, please visit or email info@penielsolutions.com.