I am trying out DT Pro Office. I am using it alongside a scansnap scanner. Whenever I scan a page I have instructed scansnap to save the pdf in a folder in my home directory. Once DT pro adds this to its database is the original scanned pdf needed? It seems like I have two copies of everything I scan, one in my home folder and one in the database.
Also along those lines when I take an existing pdf that I downloaded I import it into DT. Are those files duplicated as well?
Each PDF resulting from a scan is stored in the Finder as well as imported to your database. Once you are satisfied that the document has been OCR’d and saved to the database you can delete the image-only copy.
Likewise, when you Import/OCR an image-only PDF that was stored in the Finder (or Convert > OCR an image-only PDF previously imported to the database), the original PDFs are left untouched. You may delete them.
Of course, it’s a good idea to keep current backups of your database.
I swear by the DT Pro (and DT Pro Office) Scripts > Export > Backup Archive routine. This not only verifies and optimizes the database but produces current internal and external backups. The archive file saved in the Finder is the smallest possible compressed and dated archive of your database. It’s also a good idea to copy the archive file to an external medium – another computer, an external hard drive, CD or DVD – as a safety net should your hard drive fail, your laptop get stolen, etc.
When I’ve been making significant changes in the database, at break time it takes only seconds to invoke Backup Archive. On return from the break the database is ready to go, with current internal and external backups.