At which phase does Relativity identify the master document and master custodian?

The identification of the master document and master custodian occurs during the publishing phase in Relativity. This phase is crucial because it consolidates the key documents and custodians that will serve as references when sharing data outside the platform or preparing for production. During publishing, the system identifies which documents are deemed the most important or authoritative, typically these are the master versions of documents that should be shared with legal teams or opposing counsel.

The other phases, such as deduplication, focusing on removing redundant copies of documents, and reviewing, which is aimed at analyzing the documents for relevance and privilege, do not involve the finalization of master documents or custodians. Exporting involves sending data out of the system, but at this point, the identity of the master document and custodian has already been established in the earlier publishing phase.