In various aspects, it is important to document medical procedures performed in surgical management. These records have become even more relevant because, in realizing the German health structure law, new forms of remuneration have been established, which are correlated with defined services. This means that data from medical documentation records today "rule" on financial compensation and, consequently, on the total economy of a hospital. Data are to be gathered considering multiple clinical and administrative requests; they have to register all pre-, intra- and postoperative details in their complex correlations; and, they are subject to strictly limited periods of compulsory availability. To meet these demands, data can only be recorded and evaluated by adequate computerized information systems. Starting out from a general data profile in response to questions from inside and outside of the hospitals, general criteria will be presented on what is to be recorded and how data are to be structured by surgery information systems. We will also refer to the interfaces required with information systems of other clinical departments that are part of the overall hospital information system. On this basis, guidelines are set up on how to plan, select, introduce and efficiently run these systems.