I'm dealing with a frustrating situation in our SMB file share where users need to conduct conflict checks by searching through files and their content. The number of files has increased to a point where Windows indexing can't keep up, making searches slow and unreliable. Sometimes, the explorer only searches by file name, which is risky without the users realizing it. Only a couple of employees perform these checks, so they've learned to spot these issues.
I'm on the lookout for a document management system that can connect to our SMB share while letting users continue to work directly from it. Some options I've looked at, like Content Central and Paperless-ng, seem to support SMB storage, but not in a way that works as a live directory. Many law firm tailored systems appear focused on PDFs, especially for scanned documents.
I know we should ideally move away from SMB for a more specialized solution, but many of the products available are either outside our budget or don't meet our needs. Previously, we tried Practice Master, but it malfunctioned after purchase, so we had to scrap it. Laserfiche was another consideration, but it turned out to be too expensive.
I'd prefer an app or server-hosted solution that acts as a bridge between the users and the SMB share to enhance the search capabilities. I really want to avoid suggesting a complete overhaul of operations just for two users needing conflict checks, as I know that would likely face resistance.
3 Answers
You really need a proper document management system. Relying on an SMB share that’s grown too large for Windows to handle is a recipe for disaster.
Have you considered using Nextcloud? It supports external storage and full-text search, which could be helpful for your situation. However, it’s worth noting that Nextcloud might not be the quickest solution around. Also, if you’re still using Windows Search, you might want to turn off image and video indexing to improve performance.
I'll definitely check out Nextcloud; I use it at home and didn’t think about applying it here. Disabling video and image indexing could also help with removing unnecessary 'junk' in the search results.
Are just filenames not sufficient for your needs? I built a simple search tool for our file server that creates an SQLite database of every path and filename, allowing for fast searches. It runs cataloging nightly, but it's not a content search solution. Just a thought in case it helps!
Content search is necessary for what we’re doing, especially for conflict checks. Sometimes critical details come up in the actual content rather than just the filenames.
I agree and have pushed for exploring a DMS. Laserfiche seemed like the best candidate, but costs were a barrier. I’d hoped for a straightforward solution since search is our main issue right now. Thanks for the advice!