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With
an open file server architecture, Virtual Office Information conforms
to industry standards where applicable. It does not contain proprietary
routines.
(Stand-Alone
and Networked)
Virtual
Office Information can begin as a stand-alone system. When the user
decides, it can be moved on to a network. The system will run on
a number of popular networks. These include Novell and NT. Many
configurations are possible. It can be used with a combination of
stand-alone optical drives, optical drives in a jukebox, with several
scanners, and one or more printers on the network.
Multiple
logical archives that can be thought of as independent filing cabinets
with their own labels can be created. This is like a manual filing
system in which there may be separate filing cabinets for purchase
orders, accounts payable, invoices, and yet another for engineering
documentation.
A manual
filing system is emulated, thus all information resides within folders.
As in a manual filing system, where you can place documents within
a folder, in Virtual Office Information you can place electronically
imported documents within the electronic folder. These documents
can be of any origin; scanned paper documents, electronically generated
files, scanned microfilm, and aperture cards. The system lets all
these different types of documents coexist in the same folder. Therefore,
a user may have within a single folder several scanned documents,
engineering drawings, a document that came from microfilm, and even
a word processed or CAD file.
In
Virtual Office Information an archived folder is one that has been
placed on an optical disk. The system allows the user to reopen
the archived folder numerous times so that new information may be
added to the same folder.
Key
words are used to index the folders, and the documents within the
folder. The Key words may be alphanumeric. A folder has a title
field (51 characters long), and a description field, which is like
a word processed document (up to 64,000 characters). The system
recognizes these indices and allows searching for filing cabinets,
then folders within the filing cabinets, and documents within the
folders.
Through
the user definable index fields a user can create an index scheme
for a folder. This scheme can have a maximum of nine fields. Each
field can be alpha, numeric, or a combination with user defined
lengths of the field.
When
searching, the user can key in a wordk that has been entered in
any of the index fields for the folder. The user can search by the
word without being required to know which index field the particular
key word was entered in. The system also allows more than one key
word to be entered (combining of key words) for search for folders.
This eliminates the need for entry of key words several times when
narrowing the search. A user can skip the search for the folder,
and go directly to search for a document by its key word. Virtual
Office Information also allows wild card searches of the folders.
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