Maintenance of quality assurance records aids in recalling details of a particular analysis at a future date. A condensation of quality assurance data can be used as supporting evidence to field personnel should the need arise. Quality assurance records can also be used to track various quality assurance parameters over time (such as desorption efficiency or blank values).

Computerised record keeping systems should be backed up periodically. Archive copies of computer data require specialized storage conditions and these archive copies may not be reliable for extended periods of time.

Filing of records should be current and accurate. If rapid retrieval of data is not possible, then maintenance of quality assurance records loses its purpose. The primary purpose is to provide a system to furnish information rapidly regarding the status of specific sample sets.