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What things should be considered when selecting an imaging system? There are three different ways to index (organize) electronic documents in an imaging system. Indexing words inside the document Traditionally, keyword indexing has been used to make the information within a document available. Assigning key words from the document itself allows users to store and find pages later. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of time for qualified people to read and manually key word documents. Document imaging systems can eliminate the need for manual key word indexing by providing automatic full-text indexing. To do this, the software must have the capability to perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This process actually reads a scanned page and converts it into readable text. Once read, the imaging software can then automatically index every word to track the location of each word and phrase within every document, dramatically reducing indexing costs while providing improved searching capabilities. Storing Documents in Folders Along with keyword or full-text indexing, an imaging system must have a visual method of filing documents. In any office, files are normally found by looking in a particular folder in a particular drawer in a particular file cabinet. An imaging system must have the ability to duplicate this filing system. A flexible folder structure eases the transition from paper filing to electronic filing and makes imaging systems more successful. Assigning Index Fields to a Document The final method of organizing documents is through index fields or templates. An imaging system must use a robust index field structure to accommodate large volumes of documents. Generally, these structures are based on a database that maintains these index fields. It is important that whatever the data storage design, it must be non-proprietary and expandable. Proprietary systems put the user at the mercy of a vendor who can alter service, costs or functionality without the customer's consent. Because of the need to integrate imaging systems with other applications, these databases must use industry-standard languages and tools such as SQL-compliant databases. Systems that do not provide commercially available databases lock users into technologies and systems that may not keep pace with advancements in the computer industry. Whatever combination of indexing methodologies are used, it's important to remember that they be easily used and understood by the people who need to retrieve the documents as well as the people who need to file them. Storage There are many different storage media available for imaging. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. For an imaging system, a good storage system must encompass changing technologies, increasing numbers of document volumes and the tests of time. Selecting the right medium depends on your needs and your budget. In short, there are five storage options:
With the fast response times and dramatic drops in hard drive prices, magnetic media such as hard drives or RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) systems are becoming a popular choice for storage of document images. These devices are relatively inexpensive and can be linked together to store large numbers of documents. In addition, magnetic media provides the fastest response time. (The time it takes to store and retrieve a document.) The problem with magnetic media is that while inexpensive, they still cost more than optical media and their moving parts are subject to mechanical failure. That's why computer personnel regularly schedule backups of hard drives: If data is erased or damaged, it can easily be restored from backup. Magneto-Optical Storage Compact Disks DVDs WORM Go Back to Document Management or Contact us
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