Dancing with documents
Summary: Collaboration, records management, and workflow are just some of the features in current electronic document management software. We examine your options.
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Contents 
Introduction
Objective
DocuShare
Hummingbird
DocBanq
Interwoven
SmartLibrary
Trim
Specifications
Sample scenario
Editor's choice
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We found that the Trim installation process was particularly simple and intuitive. Trim works directly with ODMA applications such as Word, Excel Powerpoint as well as major e-mail packages such as Outlook and Groupwise.
The Trim Desktop provides users with a convenient and intuitive way to search for records, open them, and then edit them using a double click on the document. Records can be accessed in a number of ways and documents can be saved directly into Trim ODMA-compliant applications such as Word and Excel. Similarly documents can be directly opened from within Desktop for editing in the appropriate application using normal Windows save dialogs.
If you have existing documents on a local or networked directory they can be easily transferred into Trim using standard actions such as Drag & Drop, Send, or using a Document Queue.
The software has a number of search methods that provide for basic searching as well as ways of refining search result lists to narrow down to the items being looked for.
Trim provides records management for paper-based and electronic documents. This includes tracking of both physical and electronic records, automatic capture and classification of records, structured and controlled metadata extraction/analysis, records lifecycle management and support, and complete audits of the record lifecycle.
The Trim Workflow module allows users to automate and track the routing of a business process in an organisation. Users may set up workflow projects, then attach records to the Workflow. This functionality helps manage the approval of documents, the handling of correspondence, purchase orders, Freedom of Information requests, and accident reports.
Generating a workflow is quite a straight-forward process using templates and a graphical process manager and viewer providing process workflow structure support, including branching/parallel workflow, looping, and decision points. In addition resource management enables delegation, supervision, automatic allocation, and monitoring.
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Talkback
Electronic Document Management
Most of the packages reviewed I found found to be nearly useless in an Engineering Environment.
One, named after a bird, can not store more than one electronic file to a profile (essential for storing the native and a image file of the signed original) and can only manage one to one relationships in its database which is not good for correspondence let alone a drawing with say 100 equipment tag numbers to be related to it.
I suggest you also look at products such as Documentum, Filenet (both the McLaren add-on), ProArc and Assai to name a very few.
The other issue is that engineering is also moving rapidly away from CAD centric applications to datacentric design tools and your reviews make not mention of the future in this regard. Look at, for example, SmartPlant Foundation and Aveva products.