File Management

File Management encompasses the techniques used by a computer operating system to organize stored files. The file/folder metaphor has been the primary organizing principle in all major operating systems since the advent of minicomputers in the early 1970's and continues to the present day. Under this scheme, files are stored in symbolic folders or directories, often depicted on graphical desktops by folder icons. While the operating system often reserves specific folders for its own use, users typically may create as many folders (and folders within folders) as they wish, depending on how they want to organize their files. New files are assigned a filename by the user, with the type of file assigned by the creating software or the operating system.

In order to find a file using this scheme, a user must:

1. Know and understand the folder structure that holds the files, AND
2. Know the methodology used for naming their files, AND
3. Recall the filename they are searching for, AND
4. (on a server system) Hope that others have used the same file/folder naming scheme

This methodolgy works well for single user desktop systems, but tends to break down quickly when applied to a central server. On a server, users often mis-name or mis-file documents in improper folders, resulting in missing or lost files. The problem increases over time as more users store and access more and more files on the server.

Contrast this with how files are handled using a Document Management system, where file storage, security, and searching are managed using a central software authority such as the Optix Server.