TL;DR
- LIMS record archiving preserves laboratory data, metadata, audit trails, and supporting documentation for future access.
- Define retention periods based on applicable regulations, contracts, research needs, and organizational policies.
- Preserve record context, access controls, audit history, and readable formats; not just the underlying data files.
- Test retrieval and recovery regularly to ensure archived records remain usable throughout their retention period.
Laboratories generate large volumes of information through sample registration, testing, instrument outputs, quality checks, experiment records, and reporting. A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) brings much of this information together, but not every record needs to remain in the active system indefinitely.
Archiving LIMS records helps laboratories preserve historical information without allowing older data to overwhelm day-to-day operations. It also supports audits, investigations, research reproducibility, and future reference.
However, archiving is more than moving records to inexpensive storage. The archived information must remain complete, readable, protected, and retrievable for as long as it needs to be retained.
Here are the best practices laboratories should follow.
1. Establish a Clear LIMS Record Retention Policy
Before archiving records, determine what needs to be retained, why it needs to be retained, and for how long.
A single retention period for every record type is rarely appropriate. Sample records, analytical results, instrument data, quality documents, and audit trails may have different retention requirements.
Categorize records by type and purpose
Start by identifying the information your LIMS creates, receives, or manages.
Common record categories include:
- Sample registration records and identifiers
- Test requests, results, and analytical reports
- Instrument-generated data and supporting files
- Methods, specifications, and calculations
- Quality control records and deviations
- User activity logs and audit trails
- Approvals, electronic signatures, and review records
- Associated metadata and attachments
This inventory helps identify which records are essential for future investigations, audits, regulatory obligations, or research review.
Define retention periods
Set retention periods using applicable regulations, accreditation requirements, contractual commitments, study protocols, and internal policies.
For example, laboratories operating under ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189 should consider the relevant record-management requirements and the laboratory's documented retention arrangements. FDA-regulated environments must also consider applicable predicate rules and electronic-record obligations.
Avoid assuming that every laboratory must retain every record for the same number of years. Requirements depend on the type of record and the context in which it was generated.
Assign ownership and responsibility
Define who is responsible for:
- Approving retention schedules
- Identifying records eligible for archiving
- Reviewing archive access requests
- Authorizing record disposal
- Maintaining archival systems and procedures
A documented policy prevents records from being retained indefinitely without purpose—or deleted before their retention period ends.
2. Preserve Complete Records, Metadata, and Audit Trails
An archived result without its supporting context may have limited value. Laboratories need to preserve enough information to understand how a result was generated and whether it can be trusted.
Archive more than the final result
A complete LIMS record may include:
- Original observations and raw data
- Calculated or processed results
- Sample and batch identifiers
- Test methods and specifications
- Instrument details and relevant settings
- Timestamps and user information
- Attachments and supporting documents
- Review and approval history
The exact information to retain depends on the record's intended purpose and applicable requirements.
For example, retaining a final assay result without the method version, units, sample identifier, or relevant supporting data may make it difficult to interpret several years later.
Preserve audit trail information
Audit trails provide context about how electronic records were created, modified, reviewed, or deleted.
Where required or appropriate, archive the relevant audit trail alongside the associated record. Ensure that historical changes remain understandable and that archived records cannot be silently altered.
For electronic records subject to FDA 21 CFR Part 11, consider the applicable requirements for record integrity, access, and retention alongside the underlying predicate rules. FDA's Part 11 guidance also discusses preserving the content and meaning of archived records..
Maintain record relationships
Preserve relationships between samples, tests, results, instruments, batches, and reports.
This is particularly important when a record is exported from the original LIMS or transferred into a separate archive. The data should still make sense without requiring users to reconstruct its context manually.
3. Choose Secure and Sustainable Archival Storage
The storage environment should protect archived records from loss, unauthorized changes, and technological obsolescence.
Select suitable archival formats
Choose formats that preserve information and can be accessed using supported tools over the expected retention period.
Depending on the record type, this may include:
- PDF or PDF/A for human-readable reports
- CSV for structured tabular data
- XML or JSON for structured records and metadata
- Original instrument files where needed to preserve native data
- Database exports where relationships and query capabilities matter
No single format is suitable for every record. A PDF report, for example, may preserve a readable result but not the full structure or analytical functionality of the original data.
Document the export process and verify that the archived copy preserves the record's content and meaning.
Apply access controls and encryption
Archived records should remain protected even when they are no longer used regularly.
Implement controls such as:
- Role-based access permissions
- Encryption at rest and during transfer
- Secure authentication
- Restricted administrative privileges
- Access logging and periodic permission reviews
Read-only access is often appropriate for archived records. It allows authorized personnel to review historical information without changing the preserved version.
Plan for long-term readability
Software, databases, and file formats change. A record that can be opened today may become difficult to interpret after a system upgrade or vendor transition.
Document the software and format dependencies needed to interpret archived information. Establish a migration strategy for cases where older formats or platforms are no longer supported.
4. Make Archived LIMS Records Easy to Retrieve
Archiving only works when authorized users can locate and interpret the information when needed.
Laboratories may need historical records during an audit, customer inquiry, quality investigation, research review, or equipment-related investigation.
Use consistent indexing and metadata
Organize archived records around useful search fields, such as:
- Sample ID or accession number
- Batch or lot number
- Test or experiment type
- Date of creation or completion
- Instrument identifier
- Project or study identifier
- Record status
- Relevant method or specification version
Consistent identifiers and metadata make searches faster and reduce the risk of retrieving an incomplete record.
Define an archive retrieval process
Create a documented process that explains:
- Who can request archived records.
- Who is authorized to approve access.
- How records are located and retrieved.
- How access and retrieval activities are documented.
- How the retrieved information is protected from unintended changes.
Where necessary, provide records in both human-readable and structured electronic formats.
Test retrieval regularly
Do not assume that a successful archive operation guarantees future access.
Perform periodic retrieval tests using representative records. Verify that:
- Records can be located using expected search fields.
- Files open correctly.
- Data and metadata remain complete.
- Audit trails and supporting attachments are available.
- Authorized users can access the information.
- Exported copies preserve the original record's meaning.
A retrieval test can reveal broken links, unsupported file formats, missing metadata, and permissions problems before an actual audit or investigation.
5. Separate Archiving from Backup and Data Deletion
Archiving, backup, and deletion serve different purposes. Treating them as interchangeable can create avoidable data-management risks.
A backup is not automatically an archive. Backups are generally designed for recovery, whereas archives are designed to preserve and retrieve specific records over time.
Maintain independent backup and recovery arrangements
Archive storage should have appropriate backup and recovery arrangements. Test restoration procedures and document the outcomes.
Protect archival data against accidental deletion, ransomware, storage failure, and unauthorized modification.
Define controlled disposal procedures
Once the applicable retention period has ended, records may become eligible for disposal—but that does not mean they should be deleted automatically.
Before disposal:
- Check applicable retention and legal obligations.
- Confirm there are no active investigations, audits, or preservation holds.
- Obtain the required authorization.
- Use a secure disposal method.
- Record what was disposed of, when, and by whom.
This creates a clear record of the archive's lifecycle.
6. Review Archiving During LIMS Upgrades and System Migration
A LIMS upgrade or replacement can create significant challenges for historical records. Older information may depend on legacy databases, custom reports, proprietary file formats, or integrations that are not supported by the new system.
Plan archival requirements before migration
Before replacing or upgrading a LIMS, identify which records must be migrated and which can remain in a separate archive.
Assess:
- Historical data volumes
- Record and metadata relationships
- Audit trail availability
- Legacy file formats
- Reporting and retrieval requirements
- Access permissions
- Retention periods
- System dependencies and licensing
Do not assume that exporting a database automatically produces a usable archive.
Verify migrated records
After migration, compare representative records between the original and destination environments.
Check identifiers, timestamps, calculations, attachments, audit trails, and record relationships. Document any transformation or mapping that changes how historical information is represented.
Maintain access to legacy records
If records remain in a legacy system, plan for the ongoing availability of software, infrastructure, licenses, documentation, and trained personnel.
A legacy system should not become an unsupported dependency that only one former employee knows how to operate.
For laboratories connecting older applications with newer workflows, Scispot GLUE provides an integration layer to help connect laboratory systems. Any migration or integration should still be scoped and tested against the laboratory's record-retention and data-integrity requirements.
How Scispot Supports Connected Laboratory Data Management
As laboratories expand, historical records become distributed across LIMS, ELNs, instruments, file repositories, and other applications. Maintaining context across these systems can become difficult when each platform stores information differently.
Scispot's Lab Operating System brings laboratory applications, data, and workflows together in a connected environment. Its approach to laboratory data management can help teams establish more consistent workflows and improve how information moves across their technology stack.
For laboratories evaluating their next LIMS or broader informatics environment, consider how the platform supports:
- Structured sample and experiment records
- Connected instrument and application workflows
- Governed access to laboratory information
- Data relationships and traceability
- Integration with existing laboratory systems
The right architecture should support both active laboratory operations and the long-term management of historical records.
Preserve the Value of Your Laboratory Data
Historical laboratory records are valuable only when teams can find them, understand their context, and trust their integrity. A clear retention policy, secure archival architecture, and tested retrieval process help protect that value over time.
Bring your lab data, instruments, and workflows together with Scispot.
