Data as hostage - Import vs. Index?

DEVONthink Scenarios
1

Hello,

I am on the verge of committing to DTPO as my primary data organizer (based on early experimentation, it seems excellent for “reference databases” of information in varying forms).

One of the advertised points is that DevonThink does not “take your data hostage”. From what I can see, if maintains the original file within the database resource if so requested (via import rather than indexing).

My question is:
What guidelines or experiences could you offer regarding when to import vs. index?

Right now I have large sets of files in both states, ranging from professional reference documents to odds-and-ends of household bookkeeping. Some files are also stored or replicated on a shared server as PDFs (searchable when appropriate). So I suspect a hybrid solution may be in order.

In a sense, I am overwhelmed by the choice and complexity this excellent product has to offer. Any advice is appreciated.

Best regards,
David

2

David, this is one of the most frequently discussed topics on the forum. There are numerous threads, going into great depth, with excellent advice on the exact questions you’ve posted. Simply use that search box up there and look for “index import”.

For years users have given a lot of thought to these questions and posted their experiences, workflows, and opinons here.

If none of those threads answers your questions, then perhaps you could post again later.