Typical Projects generate a lot of documents all of which must be retained. The purpose of this retention is for corporate memory. You paid a lot for this skill and knowledge. It would be a shame to not have it available should you need it. Full on client/server solutions can be pretty expensive, but what if you are a small development house without the need for these behemoths? I have a solution for those small houses that want a central repository with some security. That solution after the break.
What kinds of documents are generated by a project? Everything from complex MS Word/OpenOffice writer documents to the simple emails reports of status of individual work units. A central repository needs to be able to handle all these complex document types without preference to one kind or the other. The repository will fill up fast, so I usually use either a team member or if I am given an Assistant that assistant becomes my librarian in short order.
To store these documents I want something that does not store the documents in a proprietary file format, or in a database that is neither open source, or a standard. So, my preference is to store documents in some kind of file system with an access control list or at a minimum a symmetric password to be the gate keeper for this file system. EagleFiler uses the Mac OSX file system including using encrypted images. It’s cost ensures that it can be afforded by any company in the number that it requires.
Putting the Project REpository encrypted disk image on the networks enables it’s use by those who need it. There is a single password required to use the encrypted disk image, but the network drive and folder itself could also have an access control list or other security. By using the encrypted disk images you can also transport the repository safely in any format as long as it supports Mac encrypted disk images, i.e. Mac extended formatted media.
How do you organize the repository? That pretty much depends on your librarian, or yourself if you are the one who does the clerking. I have a few thoughts on this subject. I use a combination of folders and tags. Folders allow me to have a gross organization of the files. The tags allow me a finer control over the files and their organization. Tags are usually used to indicate status of the file, i.e. whether the file is the active file, or the backup. A typical gross folder organization is presented below, but it is not the exhaustive list. A project will have it’s own shape after a few months.
The cool thing about this use of an encrypted disk image is that all of the files are bundled in one apparent file. Use a good file name for the repository and store it on the network morgue for old project repositories.
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