Learn about working with documents stored in the Document Management system.
Working with documents held in a DMS is different to when you work with documents held in traditional folders and directory structures.
The DMS manages your documents in order to keep accurate record of any activity undertaken for a particular document. You will use the DMS to store (save), locate (search and retrieve), edit and then save any changes made back to the DMS.
There is only ever one copy of a document held in the DMS. Any changes made to the document are kept as distinct versions and are permanently available. Versions can be viewed, compared and a previous version can be reverted to and made current. A full audit of changes made to a document is kept showing individual user actions.
Generally speaking, the process to edit a DMS document would be:
- Open the document in edit mode;
- This checks out a copy of the latest version of the document.
- Make the necessary changes to your document.
- Save any changes;
- This saves the changes you have made to the checked out copy.
- Commit the document when you are finished.
- This commits (checks in) your changed document to the DMS. The changed document is now held as a new version in the DMS and is available to all users.
Lets get to work now. Open the DMS documents tab. Search and locate the existing DMS document you want to work on.
Editing a DMS document
Right click on the document and select ‘Edit Document’. You know you are editing the document because the file will now show as being locked by you and a record will be displayed on your DMS Working tab.
Edit the document as required.
Save a DMS document that has been edited.
Use the standard Word save icon (Ctrl-S) to save your changes. You don’t need to use the ‘Save to DMS’ icon because the document is already held in the DMS.
You can save changes made to a DMS document at any time. Some users do this every 5 minutes, others do this once when they have finished editing the document. Do whatever works for you.
The first time you save changes to a DMS document you will be prompted with a selection box asking how you want the DMS to treat this document when you have finished editing i.e. when you close the document. The options include;
- No – save my changes but do not commit the document
- This will save your changes but leave the document locked in the DMS, until you manually commit the document. You can open this document again at any time and continue editing.
- Yes – commit the changes
- This will save your changes and commit the document back into the DMS without any further action from you.
- Yes with follow up – commit the changes and prompt me to send a follow up message
- This will save your changes, commit the document back into the DMS and display a follow up message for you to complete. This allows you to send an internal message to a colleague with the document link attached so they can view or edit the document themselves.
Thereafter when you save the document again in the same session, you will not be prompted to make any selections or decisions. Save the document as many times as you need to feel comfortable in your own working style.
When you have finished editing the document, save your changes one final time and close the document. It is now that the DMS will start to process your document. In general, these processes include;
- verify you have finished editing and have closed the document;
- commit any changes you have made to the database;
- remove the temporary working copy;
- unlock the document in the DMS itself.
These processes take a little time, depending on how busy your system is it may take 3-12 secs for the DMS to complete its processing. This is all done behind the scenes and you can move on to your next task but remember to give the system a few moments if you intend to complete some other action with the document you have just saved e.g. email it is an attachment.