What is document?

Most users think of a document as a file they create with an application such as Word. The
user stores the document in the document management system so that a history of changes to the
document is maintained and the document can be easily found and edited. Users who design enterprise
content management applications and those who manage them will need to understand how documents
can be leveraged to support a variety of application needs. A document might be used to maintain a
traditional electronic file as well as other types of data, such as an XML document or content that is
managed in an external repository. Documents:
• Have system properties that the system manages automatically, such as Date Created.
• Can have custom properties for storing business-related metadata about the document.
• Are secured.
• Can have content that can be indexed for searching.
• Can point to content that is outside of the object store (external content).
Can have no content (metadata only).
• Can be versioned to maintain a history of the content over time.
• Can be filed in folders.
• Can have a lifecycle.
• Can participate in business processes as workflow attachments.
• Can generate server events when they are created, modified, or deleted. These events are then used
to customize behavior.
• Can be rendered to different formats, such as PDF and HTML.
• Can be published to a Web site.
• Can be annotated.
• Can be audited.