Features of a Document Management System
One of the differentiating tools between document storage and document management is version control. Normally, if you create a document, e.g. in Word or Excel, you save it, reopen it, make changes and save it again, replacing the original. This would be simple document storage. Version control is the process by which different drafts of a document are managed, with an audit trail of the different revisions. Whilst it is possible to monitor mark up and changes in Word documents, you can never be sure that there is not another out-of-date copy of the document lurking elsewhere, either on the server or locally on a PC. It is possible to check out a document, loading it into its originating program e.g. a Word document, make changes and check it back into the system again. The previous version will be retained in the system, but the new version will always be the first one viewed. This feature can be quite novel for users new to the concept – but clear guidance should be provided to users, although hard and fast rules may not be possible. People need to stop and think… the key question is “might I (or anyone else) need a prior version of this file once I save this version?” If the answer is “Yes”, then check in to the document management system. A few examples: If an Excel working paper is being created, there is probably little point saving it the document management system, going home tonight or out for lunch, then checking it out again tomorrow to carry on working on it. Repeat this several times over and suddenly you have 10, 20+ versions. If the file is quite large, say 1MB just for illustrative purposes, having 20 versions uses