Does your company still have some older Lotus Notes systems that run mission-critical applications and databases? These older systems are fine for small, self-contained user groups, but they present drawbacks for those who administer and maintain them. They also present challenges for users who need to share information beyond the group. Notes and Domino developers, administrators, and users are all aware that security, information sharing, and time management are increasingly important applications that support users' daily routines. These key factors are easily manageable across versions of Notes if the organization controls them at the document level.

For several years, my company has been using a document-level information management methodology that we call "document types." It's essentially a database that provides standardized forms with configurable features. Because all of the data maintenance functions are standardized, the consistency and convenience cuts down on development time, database administration, and maintenance overhead, while allowing our Notes users to share information more freely and securely, regardless of the Notes version in which their applications were created.

Let me share the document types technique with you in this article. I start by giving you an overview of the solution's architecture. I also demonstrate how it works from a user's perspective with a very simple sample database that you can download from the link above. You can use this demonstration with anyone in your company (developer, administrator, or end user) who could benefit from using document types in their groups.