File Organization - Ease of Use
FileHold models your office environment. The easy to use library has file cabinets that contain drawers that contain categories groups and/or folders with documents just like your current scenario.
- Users can only see folders to which they have permission. Each folder can be restricted to any number of authorized users.
- Users can be quickly configured to have up to five levels of access to the library.
- Restricted access folders (also known as 'Read Only' folders) can be created that override all user access rights. These folders enforce read only of all their contents and are an ideal distribution source for company approved documents such as vacation or expense report templates.
- This hierarchy is 100% customizable and is easy to configure. The library administrator manages the cabinet and drawer structure while users have the ability to add categories and folders as required.
Designing the filing hierarchy
Central to the usability of document management software are features that enable users to easily find information.
In unstructured environments, such as a shared network drive, the tendency is for the document folder hierarchy to be too shallow or too deep. This prevents users from browsing the system efficiently. Studies have shown that:
- For every level that a folder-file hierarchy is greater than five levels, it is exponentially more difficult to browse and to locate documents as users are forced to drill deeper and deeper into a nested series of folders.
- For hierarchies that are too shallow, files stored in less than three levels deep, users are forced to scroll down long lists of folders to arrive at relevant information which is an inefficient use of time.
- Hierarchy in documents management is a proven concept. For years, businesses have used filing cabinets to organize documents to at least four levels cabinets, drawers, folders, and the files that fill the folders. The documents storage provides a hierarchy that models the real world with cabinets, drawers, categories and folders.
In the documents management software, the creation of the cabinets and drawers is centrally managed by library administrators. Users are forced to select down to at least three levels before filing can occur. The document management software also controls the depth at which folders can be added, ensuring that filing beyond five levels doesn't occur. The resulting document filing framework is optimized for browsing by all users for both document and documents management scenarios.
Users must specify storage location and document tagging information for each document when adding files to the document management library.
Once the document filing environment and tagging standards are configured, users are then able to add and tag new documents to the library. When adding, editing or checking in documents to the document Management Software, users first select the area (or folder) where they want to store the document. Then they proceed with tagging the document by selecting the type of document it is before completing the tag profile for the type of document selected.
The document management software supports the ability for users to specify storage location and document tagging information for each document. Contributors can then quickly specify authorization rights for the files they are adding.
In some cases, a part of tagging includes the ability to link the document to other documents stored in the library. This ability (commonly referred to as the creation of compound documents) adds another dimension to the document classification from strictly tagging to making logical relationships between documents based on user experience and business context.
User defined document linking can dramatically improve search performance. The document management software supports the ability to create document-to-document relationships resulting in compound documents.
Learn more about the benefits for librarians, users, managers, and administrators.