Document Management Systems

Posted by Dr Andus
Jan 27, 2013 at 11:47 AM

Slartibartfarst wrote:
>If your experience is of the Windows OS’ logical hierarchical filing
>system (e.g., consisting of nested folders on a disk drive), then you
>could argue that “Windows Explorer, after all, IS a document management
>system in its own right”, and you would arguably be right in a circular
>fashion, as it would be so, according to your experience/perception and
>implicit/assumed definition of a DMS. So Windows Explorer would be a
>good DMS tool, and (say) xplorer² might be even better (I use it
>anyway, because I find it far better suited to my peculiar needs).

>If you get users like this involved in trialling a DMS such as, for
>example, Microsoft’s SharePoint (A DMS and a document development and
>collaboration system), the experience can sometimes “blow their minds”
>as they start to realise new concepts of what is possible - lots of
>things that they never new existed and that are tremendously useful -
>things they never really knew they needed until now.
>What has happened is that these become newly-discovered requirements
>which really make a distinction between a tool for working on a purely
>“administrative” DMS structure and a tool for working on an arguably
>much more useful thing - a basis for KM (Knowledge Management).

Good points!

I also thought that file and folder explorers are a different category from document management software. Probably a lot depends on the volume of existing and incoming documents one needs to manage, and the frequency of having to recall them, which will call for specific solutions.

But re file/folder explorers, I think it’s definitely a category where if you try a Win Explorer replacement, you’ll have few reasons to return to Win Explorer, even with the free versions, such as Explorer2 lite.

I’m a very basic user of Directory Opus (just scratching the surface) but since I’ve tried it I couldn’t live without (mostly for reasons of time-saving):
- opening pre-set number of folders (in tabs) simultaneously, when Dopus launches;
- switching on vertical dual-panes with one click, whenever needed;
- having key folders colour-coded (creating a bread-crumb trail to destination folders);
- ability to resit my pre-set default view and location with one click, when things get messy.
- a preview pane that can view pretty much any files out there.

As you said, I didn’t know these features even existed until I tried my first Win Explorer replacement - which is why it’s worth to keep on CRIMPing…