Drake Software — Drake Document Manager

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From the August 2007 Review of Document Storage Systems

Drake Document Manager was introduced in 2005 as part of Drake’s tax software and is provided free of charge with the vendor’s tax software package. The Document Manager system is fully integrated with the Drake tax software so that tax returns can be published and filed directly from the tax software.

Usability -- 4 Stars
The user interface is designed with the left window pane displaying the file system organized by letters of the alphabet, and a document hit list appears on the right side of the screen, showing the file name, type of file and creation date. The system is very easy to understand and navigate.

Document Organization -- 4 Stars
Each letter of the alphabet represents a drawer, and within each drawer a list of clients is displayed with subfolders for tax. Each tax year has a subfolder. Users have the option to modify the folder structure and/or create additional folders. This format is not much different than the Windows Explorer model.

Annotation -- 3 Stars
Drake Document Manager contains no proprietary annotation tools and is designed to rely on Adobe Acrobat for annotations.

Integration -- 4 Stars
The primary integration points are with the Drake tax preparation and tax planning software solutions. When a new client is created in the tax software, a corresponding client folder will be created in the Document Manager system. A program called PDF 995 is included and allows for the publishing of reports and documents from any Windows application to a PDF format, which can then be filed in the Document Manager. Files can also be dragged into the Document Manager from Windows Explorer.

Records Management -- 4 Stars
Access control is provided via the tax software controls. An audit trail of all document activity is maintained within the document properties.

Relative Value -- 4 Stars
Drake Document Manager is a simple package that serves as a front end to Windows Explorer. It simplifies the organization of documents for Drake Tax Software users, and is priced right (free with the tax software). Drake Tax Software’s all-inclusive package is available for $1,395, and can be set up as a desktop or network application.

2007 Overall Rating: 4 Stars