JP2006268700A - Document management method and document management apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user-specific classification method separately from a folder structure classified by an administrator of a document management system, so that each user and each organization is based on a folder classification according to an administrator-like format and title. It is possible to classify documents by content, subject, etc., and provide a mechanism to classify documents according to each position.
A target document managed by a document management system, a folder for storing and classifying the document, a linked document holding information that can uniquely identify the document in the system, and only a linked document are classified. The basic features include classification means (hereinafter referred to as a work space) different from the folder to store, a user who owns the work space, and a document management database for storing and managing these data.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a document management method and a document management apparatus having means for grouping documents in units of work separately from a folder structure in an electronic file management system, an electronic document management system, an electronic filing system, etc. for managing and storing electronic documents. It is.

  In recent years, image data of a document created by reading a document with a scanner or the like, and data of an application file created by an arbitrary application are stored in a database in association with the document management information. An electronic filing system or document management system that performs search, display, printing, and the like has been announced (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Most of such electronic filing systems or document management systems have a format in which documents are stored in hierarchical folders. In order to increase the relevance between documents, it was common to express the relevance by collecting related documents in the same folder or registering the same index or keyword for each related document. . Also, there has been a method of creating a linked document or link file that holds link information for a document and placing these in related folders.
JP 2003-242321 A

  However, in the conventional document management method and apparatus described above, it is difficult as an operation to collect all the documents in units of work, and there is a possibility that the folder structure may be very difficult to use even if realized. This includes document management methods such as “Report” and “Application”, which are classified by format and title, and by work unit such as “Company A” and “ABC District Development Project”. This is because there are a plurality of classification methods such as classification by contents and classification by subject.

  As a general trend in designing the folder structure, the administrator of the electronic filing system wants to design it so that it is easy to manage and categorizes by type and title. There is a strong tendency to want to categorize by content and subject because it is easy to use when documents are organized. In addition, since the classification method suitable for each person and department varies, it is difficult to realize the best folder structure for everyone in a document sharing system.

  For this reason, when performing a certain job, it is unlikely that documents necessary for the job are collected in one folder, and first, a task of collecting documents related to the job from a plurality of folders is performed. This is not a very troublesome work once, but for example, if the same work is done for a week, this work must be repeated every day for a week, which is troublesome and inconvenient. In addition, if it becomes necessary to suddenly continue work that was interrupted before, it is necessary to collect materials related to the work that was used at the time, but the relationship between the documents is stored in the memory of the person in charge. There is also a problem that there is a fear of lack of certainty.

  In addition, it is possible to avoid the above problem by creating a folder tree classified by subject and arranging linked documents in parallel with the folder tree classified by title. Since there is a request to classify into folders, there arises a problem that folder trees that are classified for each user must be created in parallel or in a hierarchy.

  In this situation, if each person creates a folder at his or her convenience and stores the document or places a copy of the document, or places a linked document with the link information of the document, the number of folders increases. The number of hierarchies will increase, and the folder structure will become very complex. For those who join the system for the first time, it may be difficult to find the necessary documents. This is a problem not only for users who join for the first time, but also for administrators, and it may be difficult to manage huge and deep folders. From the standpoint of the administrator, basically, the folder can be created only by the administrator or a person with the authority equivalent to it, and it is best not to let other users create it, but this is the first problem (management The person-like classification and the user-like classification are incompatible).

  In addition, if a user is transferred from one department to another, the classification folder tree for that user is not necessary, but there is a possibility that there is an important folder in the user. However, there are many cases where the ghost folder remains as it is and becomes a ghost folder.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a user-specific classification method separately from the folder structure classified by the administrator of the document management system. Based on administrator-like folder classification by format and title, each user and organization can perform their own classification such as content and subject, and a document classification suitable for each position It is a first object to provide a document management method and a document management apparatus provided with.

  In addition, by introducing another classification concept (hereinafter referred to as a workspace) compared to using a shortcut, such as a combination of [folder + document] and [folder + shortcut], the administrator The management target is limited to only “Folder structure and document entities”, workspace management, which is a user-specific classification, is performed for each user, and the administrator is freed from managing the workspace, thereby reducing the management burden on the administrator. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a document management method and a document management apparatus that can be suppressed.

  In addition, by implementing basic document management operations such as setting access rights, taking over, saving, and retrieving for each classification unit called workspace, it is managed as a unit of work when the workspace is used as a unit of work. It is a third object to provide a document management method and a document management apparatus having functions that are easy to perform.

  As means for achieving the above object, the document management method and document management apparatus according to the present invention comprise the following arrangement.

  That is, the target document managed by the document management system, the folder for storing and classifying the document, the linked document holding information that can uniquely identify the document in the system, and the linked document only are classified and stored. The basic feature is to have a classification means (hereinafter referred to as a work space) different from a folder, a user who owns the work space, and a document management database for storing and managing these data.

  According to the present invention, by providing a user-specific classification method in addition to the folder structure classified by the administrator of the document management system, each user can be classified on the basis of the folder classification by format / title like the administrator. It is possible for each organization to perform its own classification, such as by content and subject, and to provide a mechanism that can perform document classification that suits each position.

  In addition, by introducing another classification concept (hereinafter referred to as a workspace) compared to using a shortcut, such as a combination of [folder + document] and [folder + shortcut], the administrator The management target is limited to only “Folder structure and document entities”, workspace management, which is a user-specific classification, is performed for each user, and the administrator is freed from managing the workspace, thereby reducing the management burden on the administrator. Can be pushed.

  In addition, by implementing basic document management operations such as setting access rights, taking over, saving, and retrieving for each classification unit called workspace, it is managed as a unit of work when the workspace is used as a unit of work. Functions that are easy to do.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a drawing that best represents the features of the present invention, and shows an example of the configuration of an apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes a target document managed by the document management system. Reference numeral 102 denotes a folder for storing and classifying the document 101, which is mainly created and classified by an administrator or a person equivalent thereto. 103 is a linked document that holds information that can uniquely identify a document in the system, and 104 is a classification means (hereinafter referred to as a workspace) that is different from a folder that classifies and stores only linked documents. 1) and 104 (2) are separate workspaces. This workspace shall have the following characteristics.

・ Stores only a link (or multiple) to a document ・ Classification means that can be created for each user ・ A document can belong to multiple workspaces ・ A single user owns multiple workspaces Can also

  Reference numeral 105 denotes a user account that owns a work space, and reference numeral 106 denotes a document management database that stores and manages data related to the above 101 to 105.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the document management method and apparatus according to the present embodiment in the above configuration.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a data structure used when realizing the document management method and apparatus in the above configuration. Reference numeral 301 denotes a document table that stores document attributes and the like. In this example, the Document Table holds attributes such as “WorkRefCount” indicating the number of workspaces to which the document belongs together with other document attributes. A Folder Table 302 stores folder attributes and the like. Reference numeral 303 denotes a workspace table for storing workspace attributes and the like. The shortcut document data stored in the workspace itself is described in the XML format and stored in the Data column.

  Further, FIG. 4 is an example of a GUI of a document management method and apparatus for explaining the present embodiment.

  Reference numeral 401 denotes a folder tree composed of the folders 102, 402 is a content view that displays the contents of the folder selected in the folder tree, 403 is an icon or thumbnail indicating the document 101, and 404 is the workspace 104. 405 is a dialog for displaying the contents of the workspace 404, and 406 represents the link document 103 registered in the workspace 404.

  Here, it demonstrates using the flowchart of FIG.

  Steps 201 to 205 represent the operations of the administrator. First, in accordance with a general procedure for introducing a document management system, an administrator designs a folder structure based on classification by format / title in 202, and creates a folder in accordance with the design in 203. Further, in 204, the administrator creates an account for a user who uses this document management system.

  Reference numerals 206 to 215 denote operation procedures by a general user.

  First, in 207, the document is stored in a folder. Further, at 208, the user creates a work-dedicated workspace when working. In 209/210, necessary documents are registered in the created workspace. Normally, multiple folders are opened at this time and necessary documents are collected. As an operation for registration, as shown in FIG. 4, a document icon or thumbnail displayed in the content view 402 may be registered by dragging and dropping it into the workspace 405.

  The document registered in step 211 is used for work, and when it is completed, the workspace is saved in the document management database in step 212. The storage format may be a method of converting linked document information, icon position information, etc. into XML format and storing it in the Workspace table, but is not limited to XML, and facilitates other dedicated tables for linked documents. Other methods such as a method may be used.

  When the workspace is newly saved, the Document Table 301 is referred to, the document data included in the workspace is referred to, and the WorkRefCount is incremented by one. Of course, when deleting the workspace itself, the WorkRefCount of the document included in the workspace is reduced by one. As a result, the number of workspaces to which the document belongs can be managed by WorkRefCount, and the number of workspaces to which the document belongs can be displayed as a reference count in the document properties. It becomes.

  If it is desired to use the workspace thus saved again, a retrieval operation is performed in step 214. As an actual operation, 404 icon or thumbnail indicating the workspace may be double-clicked with a pointing device or the like to display 405 again and use it.

  According to the present embodiment, by providing a user-specific classification method separately from the folder structure classified by the administrator of the document management system, each folder is classified according to an administrator-like format and title. It is possible to provide a mechanism that allows users and organizations to perform their own classification such as content and subject, and to perform document classification according to their respective positions.

  Compared to using a shortcut, such as a combination of [Folder + Document] and [Folder + Shortcut], by introducing a workspace, the management object of the administrator is changed to “Folder structure and document entity”. The management of the workspace, which is the user's own classification, is performed for each user, and the administrator can release the management of the workspace, thereby pushing the management load on the administrator.

  In addition, by realizing basic document management operations such as saving and retrieving for each classification unit called workspace, it is possible to provide functions that are easy to manage as a unit of work when the workspace is used as a unit of work. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the workspace holds only the linked document for the document. However, the linked document for the workspace may be held in the workspace.

  As a result, a tree structure as a work space can be created and classification can be performed more flexibly.

  In the above-described embodiment, the workspace is stored in the document management system. However, the workspace may be exported to the outside of the document management system and stored on the OS in the form of a file or the like. The exported workspace data can also be used as a shortcut to the workspace from outside the system.

  Also, the exported workspace data may be imported (when the workspace is imported, the WorkRefCount of the Document Table increases by one).

  As a result, it becomes possible to distribute the work space data by attaching it to an e-mail or the like, or to perform backup / restoration as a work space.

  In the above-described embodiment, the link information of the workspace and the document is created separately. However, the search is performed under the condition that is a document management system, and the linked documents for all the hit documents and the work including the linked documents are searched. You may have the ability to create a space or insert it into an existing workspace. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required to generate the workspace.

  In the above embodiment, the attributes of the workspace are not touched, but access restrictions may be set for the workspace. In the past, access rights had to be set for each folder or document, so it was possible to forget to set access rights for any number of documents related to a job. Since it is possible to set the access right, it is possible to prevent forgetting to set the access right for the related document.

  In the above-described embodiment, only a user account owns a workspace. However, it may have a concept of a group, which is a unit for grouping a plurality of users, and this group may have a workspace.

  Thereby, when working as an organization, it becomes possible to efficiently share documents related to the work.

  In the embodiment, the workspace is fixed to the user or the group. However, the workspace may be provided to other users or groups so that the workspace can be copied or moved.

  As a result, when the person in charge of a certain job is changed, it becomes possible to easily transfer the related document in the form of movement of the workspace.

Configuration diagram in an embodiment of the present invention The flowchart figure of the Example of this invention The figure which shows an example of the data structure in the Example of this invention The figure which shows an example of GUI in the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 Target document 102 managed by the document management system Folder 103 for storing and classifying the document 101 Linked document 104 holding information that can uniquely identify a document in the system What is a folder for classifying and storing only linked documents? Another classification means (workspace)
105 A user account that owns a workspace 106 A document management database 301 that stores and manages data related to the above 101 to 105 Document Table that stores document attributes
302 Folder Table for storing folder attributes
303 Workspace Table for storing workspace attributes
401 Folder tree composed of folders 402 Content view 403 for displaying the contents of the folder selected in the folder tree 403 Icon or thumbnail indicating document 404 Workspace 405 Dialog box for displaying workspace contents 406 Registered in workspace Linked documents

Claims (14)

  In a document management method for managing a document in association with its attribute data and index information, the target document managed by the document management method, a folder for storing and classifying the document, and a document are uniquely identified in the system Linked documents that hold information that can be created, workspaces that are separate classification processes from folders that classify and store only linked documents, users who own workspaces, and document management databases that store and manage these data And a document management method.   The document management method according to claim 1, wherein the document management method includes not only a link document for the document but also a link document for the workspace, and can be stored in the workspace.   2. The document management method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of exporting the workspace to the outside and a step of importing the exported workspace.   2. The document management method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of generating a workspace from the search result when the document is searched.   The document management method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of setting an access right for the workspace.   The document management method according to claim 1, wherein the document management method has a concept of a group capable of grouping the plurality of users, and not only the user but also the group can own a workspace. Document management method.   2. The document management method according to claim 1, further comprising a workspace delivery step of copying or moving the workspace managed by the user or group to another user.   In a document management apparatus that manages a document in association with its attribute data and index information, the target document managed by the document management apparatus, a folder for storing and classifying the document, and a document are uniquely identified in the system Linked documents that hold information that can be stored, workspaces that are different from the folders that classify and store only linked documents, users who own workspaces, and document management databases that store and manage these data And a document management apparatus.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the document management apparatus has not only a link document for the document but also a link document for the workspace, and can be stored in the workspace.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for exporting the workspace to the outside and means for importing the exported workspace.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for generating a work space from a search result when the document is searched.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for setting an access right for the workspace.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the document management apparatus has a concept of a group capable of grouping the plurality of users, and not only the user but also the group can own a workspace. Document management device.   9. The document management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a workspace delivery unit capable of copying or moving a workspace managed by the user or group to another user.