Part of the Product series on the Mobtag platform.
In short: PDFs are for signatories and for envelopes that left the 1990s. The register is for filters, due date logic, and “show me every failed insulation test in zone B in Q2.* If your “system of record” is only a folder of PDFs, you are running a scanning business, not an operating one.
Mobtag-style design keeps both: structured answers for the machine, generated or uploaded PDFs for the human, both linked to the same asset. Search does not go via OCR if you can avoid it.
| Layer | Use it for | Avoid using it for |
|---|---|---|
| Fields + validation | Triggers, dashboards, what failed where | Hiding the only “real” data |
| Signature, customer deliverable, archive handover | The only place pass/fail lives | |
| History on the item | “What changed after 14:32 on Tuesday” | Telling a story in email only |
Summary: The PDF is a point-in-time; the system of record is the live profile that search, stock, and compliance can still query the morning after a regulation change.