Information in the form of documents is a central source of knowledge for every company. For this reason, the management of this information is very important. The goal of a document management system is to support the management of all documents (from simple documents to protocols and plans). Prerequisites for optimal management include the structured storage and central availability of information. The ability to quickly retrieve information and secure archiving as well as user-friendliness are also part of a good document management system.

 

• Structure and storage
• Versioning and archiving
• Full-text search
• Authorization concept
• Notifications
• Links
• Workflow
• Discussions

Structure and storage

Documents can be stored in a hierarchical folder structure. The system enables the storage and management of any file formats. Basic document information such as author, format, size, date, version, etc. are recorded automatically. Additional information such as editing status, descriptions, comments can also be added by the user.

 

An automatic document naming system, which can be customized, simplifies the document storage and searches. Standardized folder structures can be applied for future projects as a template.

Versioning and archiving

The system allows you to manage all document versions – from creation to archiving.

 

When a document is being edited by a user, the associated document is blocked for other users = checked out. Read-access is still available for the document. However, other users cannot make any changes to it. When editing is complete, the document is released in the new version for all users = checked in. This mechanism controls the editing of documents by several users.

 

A consistent description of all accesses and actions for a document provide a more transparent and secure identification of who, when and which documents have been read and/or edited.

Full-text search

A full-text search is an essential requirement for searching all documents for specific content and information quickly and easily.

 

Search results can be customized to individual requirements using numerous search parameters, sorting and display options. Even hits of numerous files are displayed within a few seconds. Thus time-consuming searching is reduced significantly.

Authorization concept

The authorization concept is the first line of protection for data and enables users to only access those documents for which they have an authorization. This concept affects both documents as well as the folder level, and can be person-specific as well as role-specific.

Notifications

Notifications are used to inform users about document creation and/or modification. These notifications are sent automatically via e-mail either immediately, weekly or once per month as desired.

Links

Links enable you to connect associated information easily thus providing logical coherence. The linking of information goes beyond the document management system. For example, a document can be linked to a schedule or a meeting agenda. This function makes it easier and faster to find associated information.

Workflow

Workflows can be defined for documents, e.g. newly created documents can be automatically forwarded to another participant for editing or release. This function supports the creation and editing of documents in the team.

Discussions

This function enables document-related topics to be discussed directly within a document.