What is an Image Warehouse

The best way to start our conversation about Image Warehouses is to provide a definition and description.



An Image Warehouse is a central repository of scanned image files that are support for transactional data, process data and organizational data. The warehouse supports the collection of files, storage of files and retrieval of files in an organized and structured way - much like a physical warehouse. It is all about tying data to image files.



The deeper description of an Image Warehouse will help you to get a better understanding. Since we started providing imaging services in 1996 we focused heavily on contracts and one thing that we always instinctively tried to do was to tie those digital contracts to the original accounting or key data. Now, 13 years later our clients could not be happier for that decision.



When the image files are tied to the transactional or process data you can slice, dice and manage that data far easier. This idea facilitates single point of data entry, for instance, you don't have to re-key the name of the parties to the contract if that information already exists in the accounting software or contract management application. You can also assemble your information with far greater ease and certainty with an Image Warehouse. Take for example the challenge of finding all documents on your shared network drive that you have scanned that relate to all customers in St. Louis. With an Image Warehouse, you just have to query the data (which exists in your systems) to assemble the files and export them in a structured format.



Millennia Group has an Image Warehouse platform built on Microsoft SQL and .Net that we have integrated with many different applications. However, you can also use existing EDM or electronic document management applications to be your warehouse. This is where the description gets a little more interesting. Just like a physical warehouse, the actual storage facility is only part of the solution. You still need people to drive the fork lifts and record the ins and outs. This is also true of an Image Warehouse in many ways. You need to have processes to control the input of image files and you need to make the data connect to the images in the first place. Typically there is a start up phase that will involve understanding and possibly normalizing the data with existing images or it might involve planning for new images and new data. This of course is the integration of data and applications. Then you need to create the tools that let users access and distribute that information as needed (and as security permits) - a good user interface.

So in the next post I will talk more about Who builds this warehouse. Please visit us at www.mgdocs.com