Importing your Records Retention Schedule into Laserfiche

By Kyle Knebel

Consultant Corner – January 2026

Customizing your Laserfiche Records Management Setup using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

For Laserfiche On-Premise (not Laserfiche Cloud) systems that have Records Management (RM) edition, Laserfiche administrators can bulk import several different components of their Records Management configuration like Record Series, Cutoff Instructions, Retention Schedules, Events, Location, and Cycles.

Laserfiche has long provided a “Record Series Setup Utility”. You can download the latest version 8.3 from this Laserfiche support site link, but it does require that you have an account with download access on the Laserfiche Support site. If you find any earlier versions of this utility, we don’t recommend using it, especially in Windows 10 or Windows 11 operating systems.

The utility link is here: https://support.laserfiche.com/download/2514/record-series-setup-utility-8-3

This utility will connect with Version 8.2 repositories and later, including the latest Version 12. Note: You will also need MS Excel installed on the same machine where the Utility is installed. You can run this on a workstation or server, as long as it can connect to the Laserfiche repository.

Documentation on how to set up the Excel file and use the Utility is found here on the Laserfiche Support Site. https://support.laserfiche.com/resources/2507/record-series-setup-utility-version-8-3

Let’s look at how this utility can be used, then we’ll print out a “File Plan” from the Laserfiche client (Windows or Web) that shows your RM structure.

Using the Record Series Setup Utility

Once the utility is installed, you’ll find a sample MS Excel file in its install directory, which is by default in the “\Program Files (x86)\Laserfiche\Record Series Setup 8” path. In this file there will be five worksheet samples. The worksheet names and the columns, except for “Name” and “Description”, are unique to each worksheet and should not be used amongst other worksheets.

The utility can import any options you choose. If you need to import just a new Record Series, you can do that. If you need to import all properties and a complete record Series design into a brand-new system, you can do that, too.

Example 1:

Below is an example of a “Location” definition import with before and after snapshots.

1 - Before Import

Using the sample Excel file and selecting just the Location check box on the Utility, press the Import button. (Note: make sure the Excel file is saved and closed before importing.)

The Repository selection dialog will appear if you haven’t already configured a login.

Once imported, a completion message will appear.

2 - After Import

Notice that the utility only added locations and retained the already existing “Current file area” location.

Example 2:

Here’s another example of importing just Cutoff Instructions. You can modify values but follow the guidelines in the documentation. The first row of every worksheet needs to be defined, as found in the sample file and in the documentation. Do not rename the columns to anything other than found in the documentation, as the import will fail.

3 - Cutoff Instructions in Excel file

Prior to import, there is only one Cutoff instruction listed in the repository image shown below.

4 - Before Import

Below is the list of newly imported Cutoff Instructions in the repository.

5 - After Import

A note about TRM compared to FRM:

If you are using Laserfiche’s legacy Transparent Records Management model (TRM) with a Record Series structure, this utility has the option to import new Record Series. If one is not in place at all, the utility will build it for you, as long as the other associated options (Locations, Retention Schedules, etc.) are in the same Excel file or already exist in the repository.

If you are going to use the Flexible Records Management model (no Record Series structure) the utility will still assist greatly, however it’s not necessary to import Record Series values from the spreadsheet.

Example 3:

Using the utility, you could go from having no Record Series structure in your repository to a custom Record Series structure that you designed in just minutes.

File Plans:

A printout or download of a “File Plan” will generate a list of the structure and rules that govern your records. You can export or print this information at any level of the records management file structure, whether it be at the Record Series level or just a Records folder. Performing the action on the root folder will give you information for the whole repository whereas doing so on a record series or record folder will give you information about the contents of that object and its children. It’s a record of how you have designed your Record Series and Records Folders so that you can reference it later. It is a point in time report of all records (selected) in their lifecycle within the repository.

Below is an example of the Laserfiche 12 Windows client option to Print a File Plan at a selected level. It shows each item and its records properties.

This concludes this month’s review of how to import a records retention schedule into your Laserfiche repository and generate a file plan report. We hope you found it informative and useful!

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