The difference between a data warehouse & a DMS

Document Management

* A document is a container or vehicle for the storage, representation and communication of recorded data. The documentÕs author creates or selects relevant data, arranges it in a meaningful way and presents it via a medium for subsequent transport and use.

* Document management normally consists of capturing and holding electronic documents in an electronic vault as images, application processed files or files in other formats. The system maintains an index, so users can browse or search for documents based on attributes of the document. Systems may offer facilities for viewing, markup and printing/plotting, grouping documents into electronic folders. Some solutions also offer facilities for managing workflow and business processes.

* Manage Files which contain data and from which information can be gained.

* Original Authoring Applications control document formats and data contained in the documents.

* Original Authoring Application or Viewer is required to view/edit the Document.

* Documents are locked into an application as significant effort is required to convert from one document/application format to another.

* Often major effort is required to update documents to maintain file compatibility when applications are upgraded.

* Standards focused on interoperability of applications not document content.

Data Management/Warehousing

* Data represents the facts, figures, measurements and observations that exist everywhere in abundance. Data is of fundamental importance as it is the raw material for decision-making at every level of business life.

* Data warehousing is a technology and methodology used by a company to organise, access and control data related to its products and to manage the life cycle of those products. The technology is relevant for any form of manufactured product but the same principles apply equally for many businesses outside the traditional design and manufacturing environment.

* Manage Data which is the raw material of business and from which information and documents can be generated.

* The warehouse data model controls the data storage format while typically object technologies organise and structure the data.

* Any application/viewer which can access the data warehouse can view/edit the data and therefore information.

* Data Warehouse is application neutral. Thus best of breed applications can be used.

* No data reformatting required.

* Standards focused on data model and import/export specifications thus allowing interoperability of data.