Document management is the process of applying policies and rules to how documents are created, persisted, and expired within an organization. Document collaboration is merely the process of checking out, checking in, and versioning a document before it is published. Windows SharePoint Services gives you document collaboration, whereas SharePoint Server 2007 gives you document management. Records management encompasses all of the functions of document management, but applies those functions to a broader set of content elements—not just documents. Any electronic record, such as a list item or log entry, can be managed as a record in SharePoint Server 2007 if there is a need to do so.
Normally, a document management system (DMS) is used to manage documents. SharePoint Server 2007 forms the basis of an intermediate-level DMS. It is not an advanced system for DMS because it lacks several features that more robust DMSs include, such as:
Pruning a document’s lineage to create a new line of documents
Grafting dissimilar document pedigrees into a document set that is treated as a single unit
Managing a set of documents as a single record set
Working with linked documents that are hosted in other repositories
Attaching a unique document number to the document that doesn’t change its name
Generally speaking, the main aspects of managing documents through a life cycle include the following:
Creation. These are the methods for envisioning, initiating, and collaborating on a new document’s development.
Location. There must be a physical location where documents will be stored and accessed. Usually, most DMSs require single instance storage (SIS) of a document so that there is only one version of the truth.
Authentication/Approval. These are the stated methods of ensuring that a document is fully vetted and approved before it is considered to be official, compliant communication from the company.
Workflow. This describes the series of steps needed to pass documents from one person to another for various purposes, such as to gain approval to publish the document or to collect signatures on a document.
Filing. In a traditional sense, we’d discuss into which filing cabinet the hard copy was placed. For electronic systems, we file a document by placing it in the physical location and then attaching metadata to the document. The metadata files the document logically by allowing the document to be found based on the metadata values assigned to the document.
Distribution. This describes the methods of getting the document into the hands of the intended readers.
Retrieval. This refers to the methods used to find the documents, such as querying the index for keywords or using search alerts to find new content that meets the query keywords.
Security. This refers to the methods used to ensure the document’s integrity and security during the document life cycle.
Retention. These are the organization’s policies and practices that inform everyone how long different document types are retained by the company.
Archiving. Similar in concept to retention, the differing characteristic is that archiving is a subset of retention policies. Archiving focuses on the long-term retention of documents in a readable format after the document’s active life has ended. Subsumed in this category is the expiration of documents after they no longer need to be retained.
When we consider the features that SharePoint Server 2007 gives us, what we find is that all the document management characteristics can be implemented using this platform. Table 8-1 outlines the document management characteristics and how they are implemented in SharePoint Server 2007.
Table 8-1. Document Management Elements and SharePoint Server 2007 Features
SharePoint Server 2007 Feature Support | |
|---|---|
Creation |
|
Location |
|
Filing |
|
Retrieval |
|
Security |
|
Workflow and Approval |
|
Distribution |
|
Retention |
|
Archiving |
|
On the Companion Media
This book’s CD contains a .pdf file named SharePoint Server 2007 Document Management Poster.pdf, which will print out a 2′ × 3′ electronic poster on a large format printer. This poster is a graphical representation of Table 8-1. If you would like a free hard copy of this poster, you can sign up to receive one as part of the larger poster set in the premium content site at www.mindsharp.com.