Archiving correspondence with counterparties for an audit: structure, index, checksums
An auditor rarely asks for a pile; they ask for a set: messages in order, a readable manifest and a way to reconcile the ends. What such an archive looks like and how to assemble it quickly from an ordinary mailbox export.
Collect the source export
Export the messages you need — the counterparty, the date range — from your mail client into EML, MSG or MBOX, keeping either one file per message or one file per folder.
- Do not rename or edit them: the export date, source and original file names come in useful later.
- Even if you are sure the mailbox is complete, copy the export to a separate folder and work from that copy.
A package structure that is easy to show
From a mailbox export, eml-pdf.com builds a ZIP with a clear hierarchy: one PDF per processed message, attachments next to them, a manifest.csv and manifest.xlsx index, an errors.csv report, a README and, optionally, a checksum file.
- If a single continuous document is needed, you can order one chronological PDF with a contents page.
- Anyone can open this set without special software and understand it in two sentences.
- When the archive goes to an auditor or a counterparty, add a stamp to the PDF pages (CONFIDENTIAL, PRIVILEGED, DRAFT or your own text) and choose a template — standard, clean, or branded with a company name in the footer; both choices are recorded in the archive README.
The index as an inventory
The index is the working document of the archive.
- In manifest.xlsx you filter rows by source file name, sender, subject, date and processing status; a separate sheet lists attachments with their parent message, detected type, size, SHA-256 and path inside the archive.
- Before explaining anything to an auditor, filter by status — you will see immediately whether every message made it into the result.
Checksums: what they give you
With the option enabled, the archive contains checksums.sha256 with values for every packaged PDF and attachment.
- After downloading, any file can be checked against that list — transfer corruption shows up immediately.
- On top of that, the service reopens the finished ZIP and verifies every member against the checksums; a mismatch prevents the job from being marked ready.
- Keep the boundary in mind: a hash confirms byte integrity, not the origin of a message.
What to attach to the archive
A short cover note helps next to the ZIP: who exported the mailbox, from which system, for which period and how many messages were expected.
- Attach an extract or screenshot showing the message count from your mail application — that is what the index gets reconciled against.
- If some messages turned out to be unsupported, keep the report: it explains the difference between what you expected and what you got.
Service boundaries
eml-pdf.com does not verify that your mailbox is complete, does not confirm the counterparty received anything, and does not produce an audit opinion.
- It turns an export into a readable, numbered and reconcilable set.
- You decide on completeness, the period and the consequences; keep the source export separately and do not delete it after conversion.
Getting a first run done quickly
Start with the free allowance: up to five messages a day can be processed without an account, and the count runs on UTC.
- Upload a small trial batch, review the preflight inventory, take the ZIP and inspect the index.
- If the set looks right, add the rest: beyond that, conversion runs on purchased credits, and bought credits do not expire.