Wondering how to select an Electronic Filing and Retrieval Solution?
Wonder no more. Many document / information management applications exist, but few enable you to truly manage documents produced in a realistic environment. For example, when you scan and index paper documents, optical character recognition (OCR) programs typically produce spelling errors and run-together words, particularly when you scan faxes or other documents of low resolution.
Be sure to check that your document / information management program can identify misspelled (e.g. ocument managemen) and run-together (e.g. ocumentmanagemen) words. Recollect calls these types of words "fuzzy" words and can identify such words with high accuracy. Some programs claim to identify "fuzzy" words but actually only identify word variations (e.g., manage, management, manages, etc.) When selecting a document management system, be sure to ask the following critical questions:
Can I search any document containing misspelled words?
Can I file, index, and retrieve any type of paper-based
document, such as a fax or form, whether it includes images or not?
Can I import any electronic documents created using popular applications,
from paper to fax to PDF to Word?
Can I drag and drop documents between different storage
media and search them without needing to index again?
In addition, consider the following important questions:
Is the solution 100% software, or does the solution include
hardware that you are required to use?
Does the solution include built-in OCR, or does it require
purchasing and installing a separate OCR product?
Can I search multiple CD directories without swapping
each CD?
Is the solution scalable? Does it enable you to effortlessly
migrate from a single-user solution to an enterprise solution?
Are there any limitations to the number and size of documents?
Which operating systems does the system support? Can
I connect multiple servers running different network operating systems
on the same network?
Can I convert and save text from paper and fax-based
documents to word processor and spreadsheet documents while retaining
original formatting?
Can I create a single document by combining scanned paper
documents, faxes, and other electronic documents?
Does the solution support both full-text and keyword
searches?
Can I view both text and images of the same page at the
same time?
