document control systems

[NCCaryME]

Do any of you work in engineering offices that use a computer-based document management system? I heard a presentation on them once, and have checked out some vendor's web sites, but I wonder how practical these programs are for an engineering consulting office. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who uses or has tried such a system.

 

[IRstuff]

The main features of some, such as Winchill, is the capturing of hierarchy and history. Additionally, such programs allow the segregation of related documents with annotations about their relatedness.

For example, a final report might be placed in the same container with detailed analyses along with annotations about what the analyses pertain to. The container would also capture older versions of the same analyses, perhaps.

For the most part, it's not necessarily anything that can't be done with a shared drive and a little discipline.

TTFN

 

[NCCaryME]

Actually, I was looking for a more complete system than just organizing electronic documents. I want to be able to scan and catalog physical documents, have the ability to search for any document by keyword, file number, text within the document, etc. All of this should be as automatic as possible, requiring little effort on the part of the people looking for or filing the documents.

 

[IRstuff]

Systems like Winchill and Matrix will allow you to set up the catalog and enter keywords, etc. However, scanning documents is a manual-labor intensive exercise. You might find a company that specializes in that sort of thing.

TTFN

 

[MadMango]

I don't think you are looking for a "document control" system, I think you are looking for a "product data management" or PDM system. I would think the majority of PDM systems on the market today will handle CAD files as well as ancillary files like Word, Excel, PDFs, etc.

[green]"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."[/green]
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[IRstuff]

CAD files and other files, such as DOORS documents are more awkward. Most CAD files are not single files, but an entire file hierarchy that cannot be readily inserted into programs like Winchill or Matrix. You'd realistically only be able to insert PDFs of any CAD file.

Likewise, DOORS incorporates functionality that is not available in Winchill or Matrix and so those documents must remain in DOORS.

This all raises another ugly spectre, which is that a complete data management system also needs to retain copies of software that generated the non-Office documents as well as somehow capturing the computer environments that allowed those programs to function. For example, if you retain 5 yrs of design data, that potentially means maintaining or otherwise archiving 3 or 4 OS versions and hardware platforms for 5 yrs. The converse is to incur a huge data migration for every change in OS, design program or hardware platform.

TTFN

 

[PatrickMorton]

Bentley Systems (the MicroStation guys) has a solution specifically designed to address the intricacy of engineering documents and data. The product, Bentley ProjectWise, has been heavily involved with Adobe in developing some very strong operability and has even developed PDFs that can handled 3d models and AVI files.

The product data can be found at:

http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/ProjectWise/Overview.htm

 

[elguero]

Use MS Access database. Very versatile. Widely available. Relatively cheap.

 

[Drazen]

The program we use in a company is a real engineering document control system with main use in project engineering and it is invaluable!

All project documents come through this program, ingoing as well as outgoing: design drawings, submittals, all official correspondence, some of this is standarized i.e. comments on received revisions of drawings, delay notices and so on.

After you customize document coding system, it runs automatically and cannot be altered, all document issues and receipts are "carved in stone" - logged.

You also give logging authority to different acters in engineering process: construction manager/designer/inspector/client. Each of them receives authority and responsibility according to project contract documents, so you fully enforce contract this way.

One very nice feature is overlaying drawing revisions. When you receive new drawing revision, you can overlay it over older revision and program will mark in red all differences so you can check whether designer forgot to "cloud" something. This is very usefull during project execution.

Of course, there is no any problem with interface to scanner although you can simply make almost all needed documents by typing within program.

That makes this software perfect automated project administrator!

 

[NCCaryME]

Drazen - what is the name of the software that you are describing?

 

[Drazen]

"hummingbird"

you can easily find it on web

 

[Rjeffery]

you can also try Primavera's Expedition

 

[JayMaechtlen]

There's a usenet forum:

comp.doc.management

which has some pretty good discussions.
(Also available on Google)

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.doc.management

Jay Maechtlen

http://home.covad.net/~jmaechtlen/

 

[DRC1]

Primevera's Expedition and Meridan's Prolog allow you to track and manage documents from design through construction. They are also versitle enough to manage documets for the owners and contractors. Check out the products on the web.
New copiers have scanning to a network folder built in. You simply call up a destination folder on the copier, put the paper in the feeder, push scan, and it copes it to a pdf file in the selected folder.