Hi Breezers! I was given a great blog suggestion – yes, I take suggestions J. Last week, a Breezer and I discussed the terms DocID and BegDoc that their vendor used. This Breezer thought it would be helpful to post information on some difference uses of DocID number and a BegDoc number. Both DocID and BegDoc can be used that the image tag for your database, but I’ll explain the difference.
Image Tag
First, the Image Tag refers to the unique name or number that is assigned to a document record in your database (eg – Summation or Concordance). In most databases you can assign which field you would like to hold the image tag information for your document(s). It is required that each document you are adding to the database has its own unique image tag. If a new document has been assigned an image tag which already exists, you might wind up overwriting the previously loaded document. The best method for assigning an image tag is to use the smallest unique variable that all the documents share. This unique variable is most often a document number, Bates number or control number. These numbers are then populated into the image tag field which was assigned by the database administrator. Two common fields used to house the image tag are DocID and BegDoc.
DocID
DocID stands for Document Identifier. When processing native file electronic discovery, each file is typically assigned a DocID. All of the metadata and the native file are linked together using the DocID number. Since the file and the associated information have the DocID in common, the database can keep the information linked.
In other instances, the DocID is simply the first Bates number of a document. When a group of Bates numbered documents is loaded into the database, the information for the documents is linked based upon the first Bates number, which turns out to be the DocID.
BegDoc
The BegDoc is the Beginning Document number for scanned documents and serves a similar function as the DocID. Like the DocID, the BegDoc can be used as an Image Tag. Scanned images are typically Bates stamped or assigned a temporary control number. The first Bates or control number of the document can be loaded as the Image Tag in the database. This means that all of the coding entered in the database for a particular document is linked to the image and document record by the BegDoc.
After it’s all said and done, the DocID and BegDoc have similar functions in the database. Knowing the difference between the two terms when discussing a project with your in-house litigation support specialist or outside vendor will help expedite your job. The individual taking charge of your project might have other suggestions for what information should be used when assigning an image tag. What are other suggestions you have?
Posted on
Friday, August 7, 2009
by Brittney Aleman
filed under