01 / DECISION
Define the operational decision
A technically valid spreadsheet can still contain an unauthorized discount, wrong effective date or incomplete store scope. Approval evidence must describe the business decision, not only file access.
Require a traceable approval record before a revised price list enters the protected publication folder.
02 / PROCEDURE
Run the control sequence
- 01
Record the requester, reviewer and commercial owner.
- 02
Summarize affected items, locations and effective period.
- 03
Attach a comparison or change report to the approval.
- 04
Publish only the reviewed artifact and record its identifier.
- 05
Retain the previous approved version for the defined rollback period.
03 / EVIDENCE
Keep a usable release record
Record the master path, accountable owner, working-copy identifier, proposed change, reviewer, approval time, release version, cryptographic hash, backup location, restore result, temporary-access expiry and publication outcome. Keep this evidence outside the protected artifact so it remains available when the file cannot be opened.
Use a consistent release identifier across the approval, published artifact and recovery copy. Never place credentials, customer data or unnecessary commercial detail in the evidence record. Retain prior approved versions according to policy, and verify that the artifact accepted by the downstream POS matches the one that was reviewed.
04 / BOUNDARY
Keep adjacent controls separate
Folder Protect can restrict a file; it cannot validate pricing logic, sign an approval or prove regulatory compliance.
Test restrictions with representative roles and a nonproduction file before applying them to the only master. Preserve an independently restorable backup, keep price authorization separate from technical administration, and confirm that automated import services still have the access their documented task requires. After an update, compare the released version and hash, review the POS import result and close any temporary exception. Recheck the workflow after Windows, product, account, folder, storage or POS changes because earlier evidence may no longer describe the current environment.
05 / QUESTIONS
Common questions
Does a protected file prove its prices are approved?
No. Approval evidence, pricing logic and file restrictions solve different problems.
Can the protected master replace a backup?
No. Keep and test a separately controlled recovery copy.
Should administrators remove every restriction during an urgent update?
No. Diagnose the exact required action and grant the smallest approved, time-limited exception.
06 / SOURCES
Primary references
References support specific control concepts and do not imply endorsement.