What Are Document Management Systems And Why Are They Important?
Prior to the age of the computer, document management systems did not exist. When computers were invented, they were invented for users to manage their documents. Now this term is used to describe not only computer documents but also "hard copies" as well.
A document management system is a system that provides a check out system that has users checking hard copies of documents out of a "library" and checking them back in when they are finished with them. In an ideal world, this system can work, should everyone actually remember to sign a document in and out of the library.
However, a document management system is more than that, however. It is also an electronic version of the same. It is less complex. When using a network of computers, a document can only be opened by one user at a time. Three people can try to open the document while another is editing it or referring to it, however they will only be able to open a copy of the document, and not be able to make any changes or save it. This would be fine, if several people did not need to edit the document. In a working document management system, the other three users who wanted to open that particular document would be able to see who has it open and can be notified when they have saved and closed the document.
There is a distinction between a document management system and an electronic records management system. It is a slight difference between the two as a document management system is a subsystem of an electronic records management system, which manages all electronic records, including sound, video, and documents. A document management system manages all documents no matter what type or extension they have. A computer system automatically alphabetizes documents; however, it is up to the users to manage where they are stored. When using an electronic version of a document management system, you can change how the documents are sorted. You can change to have them sorted by date. An effective document management system allows all users to see all documents that pertain to them and the type of work that they do. That is to say that the staff of one division should have access to the documents that pertain to the type of work that he or she does, but not access to the accounting department's collection letters and invoices if he or she does not need to have access to them. This prevents accidental deletion of documents that are needed by another division.
Knowledge Management
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