Hello tomadams,
And thank you for your question!
What you are seeking is a document management system, not unlike those
that are commonly used in law offices, for example.
One page I found had a good description of document imaging and
management systems (
http://www.laserfiche.com/basics/index.html?id=googleselectDM2 ) and
says:
"A complete document imaging system comprises five elements:
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Scanning
Major advancements in scanning technology make paper document
conversion fast, inexpensive, and easy. A good scanner will make
putting paper files into your computer easy.
Storage
The storage system provides long-term and reliable storage for
documents. A good storage system will accomodate changing documents,
growing volumes and advancing technology.
Indexing
The index system creates an organized document filing system and makes
future retrieval simple and efficient. A good indexing system will
make existing procedures and systems more effective.
Retrieval
The retrieval system uses information about the documents, including
index and text, to find images stored in the system. A good retrieval
system will make finding the right documents fast and easy.
Access
Document viewing should be readily available to those who need it,
with the flexibility to control access to system. A good access system
will make documents viewable to authorized personnel, whether in the
office, at different locations, or over the Internet."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, this all implies to me that the images that are stored are
static and uneditable, and I am not sure that is what you are looking
for. The following system, for example, has the advantage of being
totally searchable in the text documents that they index:
Worldox - http://www.worldox.com/product/product.html . They note:
"WORLDOX® is a multi-award-winning Document Management System which
incorporates document management and e-mail management."
Before I note some of their primary features, I will note pricing, if
that is an important consideration for you:
"WORLDOX software is $350 per concurrent user plus $60 annual
maintenance per user.
WORLDOX is priced by concurrent user, not by seat. There is no server
charge.
Consulting services such as installation, configuration and training
are quoted separately."
Some requirements that are also important considerations are:
"WORLDOX works on Windows XP, 2000, 98, 95, NT or Novell.
WORLDOX is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office and
Corel/WordPerfect Office Suites and other products.
WORLDOX is installed directly onto your file server. The only
additional hardware requirement is a dedicated PC for indexing."
So, the good news is that it runs on XP, and tightly integrates with
Microsoft Office. I am not totally sure that in your case you would
need a dedicated PC sot index as I assume from your question that you
have a stand-alone PC and not a network, but that may be an incorrect
assumption on my part. If the features are attractive to yu and price
acceptible, I would contact them to see if indexing can be performed
on a standalone machine that is the only user of this indexing system.
They are reachable here: e-mail sales@worldox.com or call 800-962-6360
That all being said, a rather complete feature list is available here:
http://www.worldox.com/product/worldox_features.html
Some of their most important features as I interpret your needs are:
-Full text searching with support for Boolean operators (AND, OR, BUT
NOT, WITHIN)
-Date range searches - Date Created and Date Updated
-Select File Save As while reading an e-mail and WORLDOX will profile
that message
I'll let you discover the additional features that may be useful for
you.
Another, less expensive option for you, (that also claims to be award
winning) is eDocPlus at http://www.edocplus.com/ .
This software is only $74.95 and supports not only documents and
email, but scanned data as well:
"eDocPlus document management software helps you find files faster,
organize documents easily, save space and distribute information. It
allows you to import files from several sources such as scanners or
digital cameras and handle any type of documents and photographs. With
a simple desktop and a very fast integrated SQL type database it is
one of the most powerful paperless office solutions. Categorize, sort,
search and retrieve documents or photos through the database in less
than 3 clicks!"
It seems to have an impressive list of features and is available for
immediate download from their website. Unfortunately, I did not notice
a 10,or 14 or 30 day trial version online. It also MAY not have the
document text searching capabilities of Worldox as I did not see that
prominently listed in their feature lists. They can be reached at:
1-800-539-0466 or info@edocplus.com.
It quickly becomes apparent that there are going to be MANY hits on my
first search and I can not possibly do justice to reviewing them here.
I decided that I would refine my search further in two ways:
1. Search only for PERSONAL document management and
2. Search for reviews of personal document management software.
While searching "personal document management" +software OR system I
now honed in to about 300 hits. Selecting a few of the best of these
culled the following from the list:
DocuXplorer at http://www.docuxplorer.com/
"More than just a document manager, DocuXplorer provides you with a
complete set of Document Imaging and Management Tools - Document
Capture, Library Functions, Annotation, Viewing, Security,
Communication and extended database, display and reporting features
not found in other document management applications. Designed to be
flexible and customizable, it serves a broad range of business and
departmental needs. With two versions, DocuXplorer Professional, our
multi-user document management system, or DocuXplorer Personal, our
single-user version, there is a DocuXplorer document management
solution that will be a perfect fit for you."
They do offer a 30 day free trial and work with XP. Their personal
version is $229.95.
Some of their key features include:
"Ultra-easy Windows Explorer type desktop with Cabinets, Drawers and
Folders
Fast program execution
Add documents easily using drag and drop from a local or shared
drive, scanning, importing, or with the Print Driver convert any
printed document to an image for storage
Store any computer-generated file - automatically opens its source
program for viewing and editing
3 user-defined Index Sets to profile documents, each with up to 25
fields
Heads-up Indexing makes adding documents faster and easier
Extended database features allowing users to create Index
Information Only documents when an image or file attachment is not
required or unavailable
Full set of image processing and annotation tools - OCR included
Full Text and Boolean Search"
This appears to be a very complete package.
At http://www.gcn.com/archives/gcn/1998/September28/57.htm , I found
an interesting buyer's guide to Document Management Software you might
wish to read. I briefly looked at their personal recommendations and
didn;t see any with searchable text, which I once again assumed is
very important to your requirements. That being said, this page is an
interesting read.
I then trotted over to one of my favorite software lisitng sites that
offer ratings on software packages: CNET. I searched for document
management and found:
CNET, sorted by rating and avialable here:
http://download.com.com/3120-2001-0-1-3.html?qt=document+management&ca=2001
shows 204 hits with the top rated as:
Logik - My Edition 1.0
Create a searchable index of all of your important documents.
OS: Windows (all)
File Size: 30MB
License: Free to try, $199 to buy
http://www.coredge.com/ says this:
Logik - My Edition is a Knowledge Preview Tool designed to provide
users with a quick way to absorb information found in email, public
folders, on hard drives and the Internet. With Logik, users are armed
with an application that offers automatic generation of Library
indices, document summarization, list of related documents, and
translation.
CNET shows this tied with:
PC Data-Finder 5.5 release 12
Find any word, phrase, document, or e-mail on your system instantly.
OS: Windows 95/98/NT/2000
File Size: 1.55MB
License: Free to try, $40 to buy
Their home page appeared to be down, but CNET notes the following:
"The PC Data-Finder is an advanced search engine that integrates
information indexing, search, and retrieval, allowing the user to
search through files in any directory or drive for specific words or
phrases. It offers comprehensive indexing and sophisticated search
capabilities that make it an indispensable management tool for
corporate users as well as demanding professionals working with large
bodies of documents. Find any word, phrase, document, or e-mail on
your system--regardless of where it is or how it's named. PC
Data-Finder will also search through ZIP, PDF, HTML, HTM, Office
suites, and more."
I'll let you investigate the next 202 programs listed on CNET 8^)
And finally, I wanted to take a look at the two programs you
specifically mentioned (other than Access, which would be a difficult
solution to implement): asksam5 and Endnote
asksam5 is talked about at http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/57925.html and
claims to be the world's most popular free form database.
They note:
"askSam is a different kind of database -- it's a whole new way to
manage information. askSam requires no pre-defined structure or field
lengths. Add notes and descriptions to your databases. Turn e-mail,
texts, and Internet information into searchable databases. askSam is
easy to use. You can search without learning a query language. You can
create reports without programming. askSam was designed for users, not
for programmers. askSam searches are fast, powerful, and easy. Type in
any word or phrase, and askSam finds it... anywhere in your database.
No complicated query language. No need to remember what field contains
what information. "Whether your information is simple, structured, or
random, askSam provides an easy way to stash it and an easy way to
find it again. Best of all, since it behaves like a word processor,
you won't spend weeks learning to use it."
What I did not notice is the ability to search all DOCUMENTS for words
or phrases, which I think is an important function. Though it may have
this functionality.
http://www.asksam.com/four/surf20/asksam5.asp shows more about this
program and again offers a free trial. Some of their impressive
features are listed as :
Ÿ Turning Texts into Searchable Databases
Ÿ Archiving Years of Email
Ÿ Lightning Fast Searches of Your Information
Ÿ Easy to Design Databases Forms
Ÿ Organizing Information with Hypertext Links
Ÿ Collecting Information from Anywhere
Ÿ Creating Your Own Reports
Ÿ Importing Adobe Acrobat PDF Files
Ÿ Importing Email Attachments
Ÿ Attaching Original Files when Importing
Ÿ Emailing Documents
Ÿ Email Merge - Email to selected contacts in your askSam
database.
Ÿ Remembered Lists
Ÿ Sorting Search Results by Relevance
asksam5 sells for between $150 and $300 depending on version.
Endnote, at http://www.endnote.com/ENinfo.htm
shows their prominent features as:
"EndNote Information
Millions of researchers, scholarly writers, students, and librarians
use EndNote (patent pending) to search online bibliographic databases,
organize their references and images, and create bibliographies and
figure lists instantly.
Instead of spending hours typing bibliographies, or using index cards
to organize their references, they do it the easy way by using
EndNote!
EndNote for Windows and Macintosh is a valuable all-in-one tool that
integrates the following tasks into one program:
Search bibliographic databases on the Internet
Organize references and images in a database
Construct your paper with built-in manuscript templates
Watch the bibliography and figure list appear as you write! "
I don't think this will provide the functionality you desire.
Ultimately, the choice of program you settle on will be influenced by
many of your own personal choices. Document management software will
all have slightly different feature sets and different user
interfaces. I'm sure you will find one that is ideal for you and fits
into your desired budget. I highly recommend that you select 2 or 3
and downlaod and install their free trials for a direct comparison and
personal evaluation.
I hope this has been informatiove and leads to your finding the
perfect package for you. If anything above requires clarification,
please do not hesitate to ask.
Best regards,
-=clouseau-ga=-
search strategy: document management systems , "personal document
management" +software OR system , "personal document management
+review |
