When this conversion takes place depends on the purpose of an organization's EDI system. In front-office applications, all documents are scanned into the system as soon as they are received. Workflow software may then direct the images to the appropriate workstations for action and response. The images can be directed to several stations simultaneously, allowing multiple tasks to be performed at the same time. The system can automatically prioritize the documents, queuing them at each workstation in a preset manner.
Conversion happens very early in the record life cycle in front-office applications.
In back-office applications, documents are scanned into the system following the processing of the information by traditional methods. The documents are scanned into the system as a substitute for sending them to inactive files storage. Records management priorities for active records insure that records are reliable and accurate and that they will be accessible as long as they are needed. Second, proper indexing procedures must be designed to meet the application's access and retrieval requirements. Poor indexing may result in inaccessible images.