How DCS Can Be Used With a Document Management System
How a Document Management System Works
The purpose of a document management system is to categorize and store documents into a document management database. The majority of these systems will convert the source documents to TIFF images, using information available in those files to know where to store them in the database – so that they can later be easily found and retrieved.
The goal of most Document Management Systems is to make this process as automated as possible by minimizing or eliminating user interaction. One of the biggest hurdles in the process with these documents is converting to TIFF images (seamlessly and automatically). This is where Document Conversion Service plays a pivotal role.
How our Document Conversion Service Helps
Our Document Conversion Service can convert a variety of file formats into TIFF, JPG, PDF and other image formats. Here are just some of the supported source document types:
- Microsoft® Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, and Outlook
- Postscript files
- PDF documents
- Autodesk® Design Review Drawings
- Web files (HTML)
- An additional 500 formats can be supported using Oracle® Outside-In AX.
What makes DCS so important to a document management system is its ability to be customized in how it converts a document – which for some industries, is very important.
For example, if you have a word document with revisions, it may be a requirement of Document Management System that these revisions be rendered to the TIFF Images for filing – or maybe they wish to file only the final copy of the document without revisions showing. Each application that is controlled by the Document Conversion Service software has customizable features to control the way the document is converted.
Document Conversion Service can even place endorsements in the headings and footings of the converted documents. Allowing for page numbering, stamping and bates numbering to be implemented during the TIFF Image creation process based on the needs of the Document Management System.
How DCS Integrates With Your Document Management System
There are many ways DCS can be integrated with your system, including command line or callable API.
Yet, for most of our clients the solution is to use the Watch Folder service that comes bundled with the product. Watch Folder service watches a collection of folder(s) and automates the process of converting any documents placed into those folder(s) and converting them to the desired image format and placing the converted images into a specified folder. The Document Management solution then picks up the images from these folders and stores the images into the appropriate location within the Document Management System.
If you have a per document level requirement where each document needs to be converted in a specific manner, then the command line or callable API can be used to customize the conversion of each document with a specific set of criteria. Yet. we see this requirement mainly only in e-discovery and legal industry applications.
For Document Management System providers, our Document Conversion Service software provides an out-of-the-box solution which you’ll love for its’ flexibility, scalability and ease-of-use. Learn more about the conversion software here.
