A document management software or document management system [DMS] possesses a variety of features and capabilities that allow organizations and individual users to perform various actions manually or automatically and avail various benefits. Let us examine some common document management software features and capabilities.
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Access, Creation and Capture of Documents
Any user authorized to access a document management system’s database can access the documents that he is allowed to access. This can often be done, depending on the DMS, over the Internet from another country utilizing an Internet browser.
Users may create, edit and then save documents in a DMS using inbuilt tools, or external applications such as Microsoft Word. Users can also upload existing documents onto a DMS.
A DMS also allows the capture and storage of paper document images. For this, digital images of paper documents are captured utilizing scanners. These digital images are then stored in the DMS database and can also be converted into machine-readable form using OCR software.
The document management may also have the capability to convert TIFF images into PDF files.
Document Storage and Retention Management
Document management systems allow you to store electronic documents in a central repository. Among documents stored, certain documents may need to be stored for a set number of years to comply with organizational policies or legal requirements.
Some documents may need to be deleted after the requisite time period, as in the case of certain documents containing personal information.
Document management software allows you to manage the time-period for which you retain electronic documents, and also document destruction after the retention period ends.
Metadata and Indexing
Metadata is information about a document which is attached to it. This is information such as the date of a document’s creation, the name of its author, date of last modification and so on.
A DMS may extract metadata from documents by itself and/or ask users to add metadata. Metadata assists users in finding documents, and is especially important for files like images that do not contain any content and thus cannot be indexed and searched unless metadata is added.
Searching and Retrieval
Users can retrieve electronic documents from storage whenever they need. They can accomplish this by searching using keywords and metadata, specifying a unique document identifier or browsing through an index to retrieve the electronic document.
Document Revision and Version Control
You can edit and revise documents in a document management system’s database. The DMS will save the revised document as a new version while retaining the original.
A document management system will retain multiple versions of a document until these earlier versions are deleted by a user. An earlier version can be reverted to in case of a mistake or accident.
DMS also maintains a version history for every document that shows who made changes to the document, and when.
Workflow
Some document management software will possess an inbuilt workflow component. This allows a DMS to automatically pass documents from one user to another or through a series of persons for document routing, approvals and various other business processes.
There are multiple methods of workflow. Manual workflow allows users to examine documents and then decide the person they want to send the document to. In rules-based workflow, the movement of the document from one user to another is determined by pre-made rules.
Archiving
Documents are stored securely and unchanged for long periods for later use. These may be documents that must be kept to satisfy legal or business requirements.
Distribution
Document management systems can distribute documents and reports automatically in bulk to persons that require them according to preset rules in the formats [PDF files, word documents etc.] and through the mediums [Email, fax etc.] that they require.
Security and Regulatory Compliance
A DMS allows control over who accesses the system and documents. An administrator can set access permissions to allow or deny specific users or user groups access to certain documents.
It allows control over who accesses and distributes which documents, whether they are allowed to edit the documents and so on. Document management systems may help in complying with laws and regulations governing an organization such as HIPAA for the medical industry.
Collaboration
A DMS lets multiple people share documents and work together to author and edit them. A DMS may have additional tools to facilitate collaboration between people.
Integration with Other Software
Document management can be integrated into other software applications by document management software, allowing users to create and save documents directly into the document management system’s database or open existing documents from the DMS database inside the application [such as Microsoft Word], edit the document and then save it as a new version into the DMS database without leaving the application.
Document management software may be integrated into email applications, tax and accounting software, Microsoft Office and so on.
Design of Forms
A DMS may also have the capability to generate electronic Forms, which can be used to capture user-generated content. This may be used to let the users create memos, letters, articles and such easily and quickly in a standardized format and layout used throughout the organization.