Document Management Application
A document management application (DMA) is a system for capturing, storing, organising, and retrieving business documents — contracts, invoices, quality records, engineering drawings, compliance evidence — in a controlled, auditable environment integrated with the ERP and other business applications.
How it works
Documents enter the DMA through scanning, direct upload, or automated capture from connected systems (e.g. an invoice received via EDI is automatically stored against the purchase order). The DMA applies metadata (document type, related entity, version, status) that enables search and retrieval. Retention policies enforce how long documents are kept and what happens at end-of-retention. Access controls define who can view, edit, or delete.
Selection criteria
| Criterion | What to evaluate |
|---|---|
| ERP integration | Documents should link to ERP records — invoices to purchase orders, contracts to vendors, quality records to production orders. A DMA that requires manual cross-referencing negates most of its value. |
| Version control | Contracts and engineering documents change. The DMA must track every version, who approved it, and when. |
| Retention policy automation | SOX requires financial records for 7 years. HIPAA requires medical records for 6 years minimum. The DMA should enforce these by document category without relying on manual deletion. |
| Full-text search | Metadata search alone is insufficient for large document volumes. OCR-based full-text search is standard in modern DMAs. |
| Audit trail | Access to documents — not just changes — should be logged for compliance-sensitive categories. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a document management application and SharePoint?+
Which ERP platforms have native document management?+
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