Overview of Document Management System Projections. Version 2015

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1 Overview of Document Management System Projections Version 2015

$Overview of Document Management System Projections Contents What is DMS Projections... 3 Key Features... 5 Support for Linked Files... 5 Simple Publish\Edit within Application.$

2 Overview of Document Management System Projections Contents What is DMS Projections... 3 Key Features... 5 Support for Linked Files... 5 Simple Publish\Edit within Application... 5 Publish Through Drag and Drop... 8 Bulk Move File Capability... 8 Support for Windows Printing Features... 8 Constraints General Technical Other Important Facts about Projections Best Practice Guidelines Accessing Documents Publishing\Editing a Document What is not in the Current Scope of DMS Projections Offline Syncing WIP CAD Management in DLM FAQ Union Square Software Ltd Page 2

What are DMS Projections? DMS Projections allow part of the Union Square DMS to be accessible through a traditional network file share from a Windows server.

3 What are DMS Projections? DMS Projections allow part of the Union Square DMS to be accessible through a traditional network file share from a Windows server. The DMS Projection appears as a disk on the server to an administrator who is then able to create a Network Share to allow users to navigate to it. Users can access the projection using the network share, which could be a mapped drive on their PC, or they can enter a UNC path directly. For example \\qa-projection\p. Once the user has accessed the share they will see the root directories that map to Union Square Entity Classes. Currently the system supports the Enquiry and Project entities only. More flexible entity options will be added in future versions. A General folder is also shown. This displays any pools that have been flagged for inclusion in the DMS Projection. These pools are shown without any entity breakdown. Within each Entity class the Projection will initially display a folder representing a breakdown by year of record creation. Within each year the Projection displays the list of all project or enquiries as folders. Within each entity all document pools that are linked to the entity will be shown. This will follow the same hierarchy as the Pools in the DMS. One point to note is that the Project will show all possible folders for 2016 Union Square Software Ltd Page 3

4 the entity class whereas the DMS only shows Pools with Content. The same navigation and document is shown below for both the DMS and the projection in the screen shot below: Union Square Software Ltd Page 4

Key Features Support for Linked Files Many desktop applications support the principle of linked files. This includes Office applications and DTP system such as Adobe InDesign.

5 Key Features Support for Linked Files Many desktop applications support the principle of linked files. This includes Office applications and DTP system such as Adobe InDesign. The linking of files in these applications works on the basis of a direct file link and previously Union Square has been unable to support this as DMS files were only available via an http type link. DMS Projections overcomes this limitation and allows users to link to files that are in the DMS (and under full DMS control) by accessing the file via the Projection as linked file. See example below where an image is added to a PowerPoint presentation via a projection. Simple Publish\Edit within Application By exposing the DMS though a Windows file system the DMS Projection provide some basic publish and revise facilities from within applications such as MS Office. The process of saving (or copying\moving) a file into a projected leaf folder (all others are marked as read only) is translated into a publish in DMS terms. In the screen shots below you can see the file being saved to the projection in MS Word and then the file displayed in the DMS search screen. Because of the periodic publish there will be a delay in the file appearing in the DMS Union Square Software Ltd Page 5

Editing a files works in a similar way to publish.

After making changes the user will save the file and eventually close MS Word.

6 Editing a files works in a similar way to publish. The user navigates to the file in MS Word and opens it. After making changes the user will save the file and eventually close MS Word. This will be translated as a new version (or versions see note below) of the document in the DMS. This is illustrated in the screenshots below that show the file being opened, saved and then displayed in the DMS screen showing the version history: Union Square Software Ltd Page 6

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8 There are some import caveats to this feature which are explained in the constraints section. Publish Through Drag and Drop Files can be added to the DMS by simply Dragging and Dropping (or copy paste) files from a local or network location into the Projection. As with the In Application publish described above, this can only attribute a single pool and entity to the documents. Bulk Move File Capability Groups of files can be moved between pools or entities using the drag\drop or move metaphors in Windows folders. This provides a much more efficient way to moves documents that have been incorrectly published. This process works in the same manner as the existing Edit properties function, resulting in a new document record for each moved file. Support for Windows Printing Features Exposing DMS documents through the projection allows users to interact with standard Windows printing facilities. This is very useful when a user wishes to print multiple documents at the same time. In particular, Windows handles image printing well with tools that allow the user to lay out a page with multiple images printed. See screen shot below: Union Square Software Ltd Page 8

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10 Constraints General 1. The Pool that represents DLM documents is currently excluded from the Projection. This is due to the inability of a traditional Windows file system to support multiple renditions of the same document and the concept of a placeholder. 2. Publishing Documents using Projections can only tag a file with a single entity and single pool. If a file needs to linked to multiple entities (e.g. project AND organisation) or multiple pools it cannot be done in the Projection and must be published using the Working Files check-in. 3. The Save action in a client application (Word, Excel etc.) is translated into a publish in the DMS. If the user saves the file multiple times in a session they may get several versions published. We attempt to limit this problem by checking on the saved state periodically (e.g. every 60 secs). This means that if the user saves the file 5 times in the 60 second period only one version, representing the last save, is published. This technical limitation is a consequence of the way that modern desktop applications manage their file edits (auto saves, backups, temps files, diff files etc. etc.). 4. Because there is no equivalent of a check-out process in the Windows file system it is possible that two users will edit the file in the projection at the same time. In this situation the files will be published as two versions and the last save will be the current version. 5. The Projection within an entity shows all possible folders (pools) rather than just those with content. This is in contrast to the DMS search screen that only shows pools with content for the entity. 6. Read history is not currently tracked as it is within the DMS. This is because it is very difficult to differentiate between a user reading a file and the operating system opening the file for various system purposes (e.g. text indexing). For the time being we have saved all the reads to a new table and in the future will look to translate this into entries in our current read history table using some form of heuristic. 7. Document pools that have mandatory entity requirements other than those represented by the projection (i.e. other than enquiry or project) have to be restricted as the Projection cannot satisfy them. In this situation the folder is presented as a read only folder. We have no way in Windows of identifying to the user why they cannot save into it. It will simply appear as if they don t have rights to it Union Square Software Ltd Page 10

11 Technical 1. The user must be logged onto the company network and must have their network credentials stored as part of the Union Square user details. This feature will not work for external\extranet users. 2. The initial release of Projections is not cache server aware. This means that users at remote sites will connect to the projection server over their WAN or will connect to a local Projections server that would access documents over the WAN. Depending on speed of links this could be quite slow unless the client invested in WAN acceleration technology such as Riverbed devices. 3. There are significant issues with Microsoft Project files and DMS Projections. When MS Project opens a project file it immediately writes back to the file. In Projection terms this means that the system cannot distinguish between a read and an edit. Every time a user opens a MS Project file in the projection the system will register a new version. 4. There is a limit to the combined length of the projection path and filename that is imposed by Windows 260 characters. We have attempted to reduce the impact of this limitation by using shortened identifiers for the folders when in the staging area (prior to publish). We are not able to change the filename however. It is not possible to give the user a fixed limit on the filename as it depends on the path as well (the limit is the two things together and this is not seen by the user). 5. The Synching facility available in Windows that allows network folders to be available to a user when they are offline is not supported by Projections in the current version. Other Important Facts about Projections 1. It is important to appreciate that this is a virtual file system and not just a copy of the DMS. The system uses entities and document pool structure to construct a series of folders in Windows. When a user selects a file they are actually opening the file stored in the native DMS. 2. Other than the access to the root network share, all security is managed automatically based on users settings in Union Square. This makes the management of the DMS Projection very simple. 3. Editing and moving can only effect a single pool\entity combination but the system retains all other metadata. This means that documents can be initially published (version 1) using complex metadata and then edited from within the applications (opened from the projection). When the file is saved (and published as a new version) the document s metadata will be preserved. This also applies to moving files through drag and drop or cut and paste. The DMS will only change the entity or pools affected by the process and retains all other metadata Union Square Software Ltd Page 11

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13 Best Practice Guidelines Accessing Documents Use a projection to access documents if you wish to:- Embed a link (to a DMS document) in a document you are working on Print a number of documents out together Print a sheet of images out In all other situations you should use the DMS search screen as it is a more powerful search tool. Publishing\Editing a Document Use a Projection to publish a file if it only requires linking to a single entity (project or enquiry) and document pool. In all other situations use the check-in wizard which allows more comprehensive metadata tagging. Use a Projection to edit a file if you are planning to make minor and rapid changes. If you are planning to work on the file for more than a few minutes we would suggest you check the file out from the DMS Search screen. This will ensure no changes can take place during your edit. Use a Projection when you wish to move a group of files from one entity to another. You would typically do this to correct publishing errors. Use a Projection when you wish to move a group of files from one document pool to another. As above, you would typically do this to correct publishing errors Union Square Software Ltd Page 13

14 What is not in the Current Scope of DMS Projections Offline Syncing Windows provides a useful Synchronisation feature that allows a network drive to be synchronised to a user s local disk so that is available when the user is not connected to the network. This feature is known as Windows Sync. In the initial release of DMS Projections this feature is not supported. Longer term plans for Projections include adding this feature to provide off line file facilities for mobile users with laptops. WIP CAD Management in DLM DMS Projections provides a platform for enhancing the capabilities of the current DLM module in order to manage the Work in Progress\Native CAD files. This is possible because the Projection would allow CAD files to access related files (Xrefs) through a network path when they are published in Union Square. Union Square will incorporate this feature in a future version of the DLM software Union Square Software Ltd Page 14

15 FAQ What happens if a pool name is changed? When the projection first loads it caches the directory structure for the user. If the user does not access the projection for 1 hour it will dispose of its cache and reload it the next time it is accessed. At this point the pool name change will be visible. This means that for users accessing the Projection regularly the pool name won t be seen until the next day (it will refresh overnight). What happens when a new pool is created? When the projection first loads it caches the directory structure for the user. If the user does not access the projection for 1 hour it will dispose of its cache and reloads it the next time it is accessed. At this point the new pool will be visible. This means that for users accessing the Projection regularly the new pool won t be seen until the next day (it will refresh overnight). What happens if a new project\enquiry is added? When the projection first loads it caches the directory structure for the user. If the user does not access the projection for 1 hour it will dispose of its cache and reloads it the next time it is accessed. At this point the new project\enquiry will be visible. This means that for users accessing the Projection regularly the new entity won t be seen until the next day (it will refresh overnight). What happens when a user s security is changed so they see new pools (or have pools removed)? When the projection first loads it caches the directory structure for the user. If the user does not access the projection for 1 hour it will dispose of its cache and reloads it the next time it is accessed. At this point the security changes will be applied. This means that for users accessing the Projection regularly the security change won t be applied until the next day (it will refresh overnight). What happens if documents have duplicate titles and exist in the same pool? They will show in the Projection with a number in brackets after the shared title. The number will increment for each duplicate file added. This file can be edited and the edit will increment the version of the correct file. It would be difficult for the user to map the projection file back to the DMS file Union Square Software Ltd Page 15

16 How long will it take before newly published documents are visible in the projection? This is dependent on the Directory Refresh Time setting. Documents checked in using working files will be available after this period (note that this is a maximum delay). If they have been checked in using a Projection by another user then the publish delay setting will also need to be factored in. The user will need to refresh the directory in the projection (F5). What happens if a user accesses a file when it is checked out? The user will get a message identifying that the file is read only when they attempt to save it in the projection. What happens if a user attempts to check out a file that is being edited in Projections? They will be able to check the file out and make changes. Both the check-in and the saving of the file to the projection (from the editing application e.g. MS Word) would create new versions which will sit in the supersession stack. The order would depend on the timings of the save vs the check-in and the save delay set on the server. What happens if two users edit a file in a Projection at the same time? They will create two versions of the file with the order in the supersession stack being dependant on when they saved the file to the projection. If they both saved the file in the same save window (based on the save delay set in the Projections config) then the last save would be the last version. What happens if users save a file to a parent folder in the Projection? All non-leaf folders are marked as read only so the user will not be able to save to anything other than left folders. What happens if users cut and paste files outside of the projection? If the user attempts to use the cut and paste function to remove files from the DMS they system will translate this into a copy. In other words, the cut files will be copied to the new location outside of the project but will remain in the Projection as well. Will all right click actions in Windows Explorer be operational? 2016 Union Square Software Ltd Page 16

17 All standard actions will be available with the following exceptions:- Delete The file will appear to be deleted but will return when the directory refreshes. Windows Sync ( always available off line ) we will be looking to add support for this feature in a future version Union Square Software Ltd Page 17

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