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SQL (Structured Query Language) is a powerful tool used to manipulate and query data within a relational database. Document management systems are widely used to store, manage, and track electronic documents and electronic images of paper-based information captured through document imaging. In this blog post, we are diving into how to use SQL to effectively design a document management system.
Understanding Document Management System (DMS)
Document Management is how your organization stores, manages, and tracks its electronic documents. Information could be readily available if the database design is optimized, and SQL could fetch it quickly. Let’s first understand the necessary constituents required to design our Document Management System database:
- Users: The employees in a company who will be accessing the DMS.
- Documents: The electronic documents to be stored and managed.
- Metadata: Data that describes other data. In this context, it would be data about the documents.
- Access Controls: Which user(s) can view, edit, delete, or otherwise manipulate the documents.
Designing Database Schema for DMS
Let’s start with the database schema for the Users table.
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CREATE TABLE Users ( UserID int NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, UserName varchar(255) NOT NULL, Email varchar(255), Password varchar(255) NOT NULL ); |
Next, let’s create the Documents table.
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CREATE TABLE Documents ( DocumentID int NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, DocumentName varchar(255) NOT NULL, DocumentLocation varchar(255) NOT NULL, UserID int, FOREIGN KEY(UserID) REFERENCES Users(UserID) ); |
The Metadata table would look something like the following. Each document will have linked metadata.
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CREATE TABLE Metadata ( MetadataID int NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, DocumentID int, MetadataType varchar(255) NOT NULL, MetaDataValue varchar(255) NOT NULL, FOREIGN KEY(DocumentID) REFERENCES Documents(DocumentID) ); |
Lastly, we’ll need a table to manage the access controls.
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CREATE TABLE AccessControls ( AccessID int NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, DocumentID int, UserID int, AccessType varchar(50), FOREIGN KEY(DocumentID) REFERENCES Documents(DocumentID), FOREIGN KEY(UserID) REFERENCES Users(UserID) ); |
Querying the DMS
For instance, to fetch a particular document, you can use the below SQL code:
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SELECT Documents.DocumentName, Documents.DocumentLocation FROM Documents WHERE Documents.DocumentID = 1; |
To fetch metadata for a specific document:
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SELECT Metadata.MetaDataType, Metadata.MetaDataValue FROM Metadata WHERE Metadata.DocumentID = 1; |
Conclusion
This blog post provided a basic insight into designing a Document Management System using SQL. With this structure, one can manage a system with numerous documents, predefined user roles, and easy metadata access. However, real-world applications may require a more complex structure based on an organization’s specific needs.