DokumentsDokumente

DokumentsDokumente is a term used in German-language discussions of information management to describe the relationship between a single document and the set of documents with which it is associated. It is not a formal standard, but a conceptual label that appears in theoretical and practical writings about document management, archiving, and metadata modeling.

The term combines the singular and plural forms of the word Dokumente and emphasizes the dual perspective: the properties of an individual document (Dokument) and the broader context or collection it belongs to (Dokumente). In this sense, DokumentsDokumente serves as a reminder that document systems often treat items both as standalone units and as parts of larger networks, such as assemblies, versions, attachments, or linked references.

In data models and information architectures, the concept can be represented by linking a Document entity to related Document entities. Such relationships may capture version histories, revisions, irrational attachments, citations, or dependencies. This allows search and retrieval processes to consider both item-level attributes (author, date, content) and collection-level attributes (project, domain, retention policy).

Applications include document management systems, digital archives, and compliance-oriented repositories where accurate linking of related documents supports consistent governance, auditing, and retention. The concept also informs metadata schemas by distinguishing properties that apply to individual items from those that apply to groups or collections.

See also: document management, metadata, versioning, archiving, retention policy.