Document management software should be tested on your own files before you move them, because a demo shows its features and your files show whether those features work. Buyers usually compare feature lists and sit through a vendor demo. The demo runs on tidy sample documents. Yours include scans, old revisions, and files that only three people may open. This guide gives seven tests to run on a small pilot sample, each with a pass condition you can observe. A definition comes first, so the tests have names.
What should document management software do?
Document management software stores files in one controlled place and records who changed what. The software keeps versions, enforces access permissions, makes scanned pages searchable, and routes documents for approval. A retention policy and an audit trail complete the set, so a file can be found and trusted, then removed on schedule.
Those functions become the tests, and each of the seven maps to one check in the table below. A product that cannot pass all seven on your own files is not ready for your move. Retention deserves a note of its own, because some records must be kept for years and removed afterwards. Ask your adviser which rules apply to your records, then test that the software can express them.
Vendors sell the same idea under several names. A document management system, document management system software, and a DMS system software package are variations that the label alone cannot rank.
Approval routing is where the software meets business process automation. A purchase order, a contract, or a leave form moves between people. Each move should leave a trace, and the system should record every step. Our post on what process automation is explains how routing and rules, plus exceptions, fit together.
What should you test in document management software before you move your files?
Run seven tests: version control, access permissions, OCR search, retention policy, approval routing, audit trail, and bulk migration. Use a pilot sample of your own files for each. The National Archives of the UK advises multiple test and pilot migrations before the final one.
Swipe or use the arrow keys to compare all 3 columns.
Test | How to run it | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
Test: Version control | How to run it: Edit one file twice, restore the first version | Pass condition: Both versions open and are labelled |
Test: Access permission | How to run it: Open a restricted file with an account that must be denied | Pass condition: The denied account is refused |
Test: OCR search | How to run it: Search a phrase that appears only in a scanned PDF | Pass condition: The scan appears in results within 10 seconds |
Test: Retention policy | How to run it: Set a 1-day rule on a test folder | Pass condition: Flag files for review after 1 day |
Test: Approval routing | How to run it: Send a document through a two-step approval | Pass condition: Each approver acts in order |
Test: Audit trail | How to run it: Open; edit; delete a test file | Pass condition: All three actions are logged with a user |
Test: Bulk migration | How to run it: Import the pilot sample with metadata | Pass condition: File count and metadata match the source |
The National Archives guidance on migrating information between records management systems dates from 2017 and carries the Open Government Licence. Its advice is to aim for multiple test and pilot migrations before the final migration. It also asks for tested roll-back plans and for users to take part in acceptance testing. The guidance concerns records management, so treat it as good general practice.
Three tests deserve the first hour. Access permission, audit trail, and bulk migration guard against failures that are hard to see in a demo and costly to repair afterwards. Version control and OCR search run quicker, and they show whether the product handles everyday documents. Start with the three.
Write each pass condition down before you run the test. A pass defined after the result will always seem fair. Be strict. Stay honest. With a small group, the seven tests take about 4 hours.
Invite the people who use the files to run the tests with you, and let a records owner, one IT administrator, and two everyday users make up the group. Users notice what an administrator never would, such as a search that needs three tries. Listen to them. Note each complaint.
How do you build a pilot sample of documents?
Pick six files that cover your real variety. Take a scanned PDF, an office file, a large file, an older revision, a restricted record, and a document with an approval history. Import them with their metadata, then run the seven tests. A clean result on six awkward files predicts the full move better than a demo.
Each file is awkward for a reason.
- The scanned PDF tests OCR search, since its text exists only as an image.
- The office file tests version control, because it will be edited again and again.
- The large file tests import limits and speed, so pick the largest file you have, for instance, a 500 MB drawing pack.
- The older revision tests whether history survives the move.
- The restricted record tests access permission.
- The document with an approval history tests whether routing and the audit trail carry over.
The sample is our own method, and it is a starting point. Add file types that matter to your business, such as drawings, emails, or signed contracts. The sample should stay small enough to prepare in an afternoon, so cap it at about 10 files. A small sample is honest about what it can show. Six files will not prove that 60,000 files will migrate cleanly. They will expose the categories of failure, and each category you find is one you can plan for.
How do access permission and audit trail tests work?
Test access with an ordinary user account and with an account that must be refused. Next, open the file, edit it, and delete it, then read the audit trail. A pass means the refused account fails and every action appears with a user and a time. Both tests cost almost nothing to run.
For the access test, create two accounts. One belongs to a person who should see the restricted record, and the other to a person who should not. Log in as the second and try to open the file by search and by direct link. Both attempts must fail. A refusal in one place and an open door in another is a fail. Record both attempts.
The audit trail test follows. Open a test file, edit it, then delete it. Read the log afterwards. The log should show three actions, each with the user and the time. A delete that leaves no trace means the trail cannot support an investigation later.
When the files hold personal data, access control also matters in law. Our post on outsourcing contracts summarizes the DPDP Act provisions on data processing, and a lawyer should advise on your own duties.
How do you migrate in bulk without losing metadata?
Map metadata fields before importing, import the pilot sample, then compare file counts and field values against the source. The National Archives guidance says to run multiple test and pilot migrations before the final move. A tested roll-back route should stay in place until the acceptance check passes.
Metadata mapping takes three steps. First, list the fields in the old system, such as author, date created, document type, and owner. Second, match each to a field in the new one. Third, mark any field that has no home, and decide whether to drop it, merge it, or extend the new system. Do this on paper before any import.
Dates deserve attention, because the guidance warns that they are particularly vulnerable to change when files are migrated, for example, when the creation date is reset to the migration date. Add a date check to the test plan by comparing the creation and modification dates of the pilot files before and after import.
Reconciliation has two parts. Count the files in and out, and compare the field values for each pilot file. Where the transfer keeps the original bytes, a checksum comparison shows that the content did not change. Anything that fails goes into the next trial run. Fix, then repeat. Never skip the repeat. Be patient.
The roll-back route is the safety net. If acceptance fails, the team returns to the source state, and the old system stays untouched until then. The roll-back needs its own test, because an untested roll-back is a hope. Rehearse it once on the pilot sample.
Where does Burhani Technologies fit when you buy document management software?
Burhani Technologies connects document capture and validation, plus routing and review, in business process automation work. OCR and business rules can read a document, check its fields, and route it to a person for exceptions, with each step logged. Formats and accuracy, plus review thresholds, are scoped per project.
→ Describe the documents you hold and who approves them, and book a free consultation.
FAQs on document management software
What is document management software?
The software is a controlled store for files, with versions and permissions, plus search and an audit trail. The system records who opened, changed, or deleted each file, and it can route a document for approval. A retention policy then removes files on schedule once they are no longer needed.
What is OCR search in a document system?
OCR is text recognition that turns a scanned page into searchable text. Without it, a scan is a picture, and a search will miss it. Use a phrase that appears only in a scanned PDF. When the scan shows up in the results, the feature works on your files.
How do I test a document management system before buying?
Seven tests on a pilot sample of six files: version control, access permission, OCR search, retention policy, approval routing, audit trail, and bulk migration. Define each pass condition first. The sample should include a scan, an older revision, and a restricted record. Let users help run the tests.
What is a retention policy?
A retention policy is a rule that sets how long a record is kept and what happens at the end, which may be review, archive, or deletion. Try a short rule on a test folder, and confirm that files flag for review on the date the rule sets.
How do I migrate documents without losing metadata?
Map the fields first, then import a pilot sample and compare counts and values with the source. Check dates in particular, because a creation date can be reset to the migration date. Hold a tested roll-back plan. Involve real users in the acceptance check before the final move, since they know what a correct record looks like.
What is an audit trail?
An audit trail is a log of each action on a file, with the user and the time. The log records opens and edits, plus deletes. The log lets you trace a missing document or an unwanted change, and it supports any later review of who had access.
Which six files will you pilot first?
Assemble the six-file pilot sample and run the seven tests before you sign. Write down each pass condition first.
→ Describe your document types and approval steps, and get in touch.
