Running a document management system has many advantages compared to a local file storage on your computer’s disc, but many of them don’t help if documents cannot be easily uploaded, downloaded, or generally accessed. The fact, that a web based DMS can be made available from all over the world, requires to cover many more scenarios when you need to add a document to the DMS or retrieve one from the DMS.

SeedDMS uses a simple folder structure on disc which eases updates and even allows to switch between different versions as long as you stay in the 5.1.x or 6.0.x branch. It makes use of soft links which makes it somewhat harder to install it on systems which do not support them. After unpacking the quickstart archive of SeedDMS 6.0.19, you will see a folder hierarchy like the following (it shows only those directories which are relevant to understand the concept).

The history association VEKD uses SeedDMS to manage a digital archive of the local history museum. The association has set itself the goal of digitizing photos and documents from and about its home town and thus preserving it for posterity. The SeedDMS management system is ideally suited for this. With the help of a structured index tree, photos can be assigned to historical buildings, clubs or even families and private individuals.