Essentially, macro-appraisal shifts the primary focus of appraisal from the record – including any research characteristics or values it may contain – to the functional context in which the record is created. The main appraisal questions for the archivist

Essentially, macro-appraisal shifts the primary focus of appraisal from the record – including any research characteristics or values it may contain – to the functional context in which the record is created. The main appraisal questions for the archivist are no longer what has been recorded, where it is, and what research value it has. Instead, the archivist uses knowledge gained by a functional analysis of an institution, including an analysis of the interaction of function and structure, of organizational culture, of records-keeping systems, and of citizen-client involvement with the institution or function.