SyteLine DocTrak

If you are researching SyteLine DocTrak, you are in the right place.

Storing documents in a database vs. on the Windows file system. Doc-Trak maintains documents on your current Windows file system, while other document management systems store them and the information to find them in a database.

There are a number of reasons for this, but the most important for document management systems is that they start with nothing, meaning they are not made for ERP, for Insurance companies, for financial services companies, or other industries. They are made for document management, so they need to have a way to store documents and information in order to find those documents. If they would store the documents on your existing Windows file system, then there is not much for you to purchase and not much for them to sell. The result is if they store everything in a database, they can sell licenses for every person that needs to use their programs to access the information and the documents.

But here is where this gets so much more complex. If document management systems store the documents in a database, that database will grow and grow over time because the number and volume of documents can grow to require tremendous storage. That means the database is one more container of information that needs to be monitored, backed up every night, and maintained so it does not get too big. When databases grow too large, they have to be moved to places requiring more space. In addition, old documents that are not needed have to be purged. All of this is an on-going maintenance expense with extra training and complexity that companies do not need.

Doc-Trak allows you to define where on the Windows file system that you want to store any document that is created by Doc-Trak. These documents are SyteLine forms such as Invoices, Order Verifications, Purchase Orders, Job Paperwork, Packing Slips and the list goes on. Every one of these SyteLine forms can be stored in different places on your network with the location determined by the related SyteLine field information. For example, service or repair part invoices can be stored in separate folders from new equipment invoices. Order verifications for any salesperson can be located uniquely by the salesperson. You manage your Windows file system in the way you choose. This is far superior to having document management systems define the database or databases that control where your documents are stored. Businesses make money by eliminating or automating the numerous manual tasks that are performed by people, not by creating profit eating new tasks that only expensive IT people are capable of performing.