Document creation is the process of capturing data in a record that can then be stored for future reference. In the paper document era, the data were written or typed on paper tocreate a document.

Paper documents suffered from inefficient retrieval, costly storage and handling and high risks of damage and loss. As a result, these have been replaced by digital documents,

i.e. documents stored on computer media such as magnetic disks, tapes, CDs, DVDs and flash disks. We look in this article at the various options for creating digital documents and modern data capture techniques. We start with a look at the paper era method of document creation to compare these with the modern document creation methods.

Document Creation in the Paper Age

Paper document creation was typically done by:

• Filling out forms, often in multiple copies, by hand with pen or pencil
• Typing out correspondence, contracts and other documents on a typewriter
• Creating a word processed document on the computer and then printing it out

Paper documents created thus had then to be filed in folders made of paper board, which were then arranged in filing cabinets. For communication purposes, the documents had to be sent in envelopes through post or courier to concerned recipients.

The main problems with paper documents were:

• It makes business processes inefficient owing to the need to move paper from person to person, and also because of the delays in retrieval of stored documents
• Paper documents could be misplaced or lost easily during the frequent transit and handling, and could become damaged or illegible from the handling or through the effects of the environment such as dampness
• Storing paper documents is costly as it uses expensive floor space and a lot of equipment and several staff
• It is difficult to maintain confidentiality because paper documents could fall into unauthorized hands during the frequent movements

We now look digital documents creation.

Creating Digital Documents

Digital documents are created in several ways:

• Original creation of documents in digital form: Documents can be created in a digital format originally using computers. For example, a letter or computational statement can be prepared using a word processing or spreadsheet program. These can then be printed out on demand, and referred to by retrieving the document from computer storage.
• Data entry from paper documents: Many documents such as supplier invoices still come in paper form. Details of the relevant transactions are typically transferred to digital transactional records through data entry. Paper documents such as correspondence can be transferred to the digital workflow through scanning.
• Scanning paper documents: This is an easier option for transferring the content of paper documents into a digital form. Scanning poses two problems, however. Firstly, the scanned image is just an image. The text characters in image format have to be converted into a computer readable format such as ASCII using a separate program such as OCR. Secondly, where data on the paper documents have to be transferred to a structured database, scanning might not be able to ensure that values are transferred to the relevant database fields (though this problem is being sought to be solved through forms processing software).
• Capturing data through sensor devices: Devices like barcode readers and embedded sensors can capture data quickly, and often in an automated fashion. Thus, the packages in a warehouse can be identified by a barcode reader that transmits the data to the computerized warehousing system.
• Online data capture: Devices like POS terminals at retail shops that capture sales data as the transaction takes place can minimize the effort involved in record creation.
• Documents on the Internet: Documents such as emails and web documents enable combining creation and distribution functions. The documents created thus can be sent to designated recipients, or made available to a group. This group can be an authorized group such as users of an Intranet or Extranet, or the general public as in the case of website pages.

Digital document creation methods are constantly evolving. For example, mobile devices are opening up new possibilities like capturing data in hostile environments such as offshore oil platforms.