OnBase - EDM Services (Electronic Document Management Services)

Overview

The EDM Services (Electronic Document Management Services) module primarily allows OnBase users to store and manage documents generated by third-party applications, such as Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Users can interact with OnBase to store, retrieve, save multiple revisions of, and share documents from within the desktop applications that are familiar to them.

EDM Services contains the following features:

• EDM Briefcase check-in/check-out for revision control
• Document Templates
• Permanent Image Markups on documents

EDM Briefcase

The EDM Briefcase allows a user to check documents in and out from OnBase into a virtual briefcase. The Briefcase is located on the user’s desktop, allowing for easy access to documents when logged out of OnBase, such as when traveling or working remotely. The next time the user logs back into OnBase, any revisions made to the documents can be automatically synchronized with documents in OnBase. The EDM Briefcase can also be accessed in the OnBase Client using the Briefcase Viewer.

Prerequisites

Before you can check documents in and out of OnBase with the EDM Briefcase, you must have the following prerequisites in place:

• The Document Type that you want to check out documents from is configured to Allow Persistent Check Out.
• You have specified a data storage location to store your checked out documents.
• You have User Rights for the Check In/Check Out features.

The EDM Briefcase allows you to:

• Check in documents
• Store Reference Documents, so that a user is not required to constantly check out documents
• Synchronize Reference Documents
• Create new documents and store them in the EDM Briefcase
• Archive new documents

Document Templates

Document Templates are pre-existing OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) documents that can be used as templates for new OLE documents. Document Templates provide you with a base document that can be modified and stored as a new document.

Note: Document Templates are not available in the OnBase Desktop. You must be using OnBase Unity or web client.

Image Markups

Image markups allow users to place comments on a document and burn those comments onto the document permanently. Image markups provide a way to create read-only comments that cannot be edited.

The following image markups are available:

• Rectangular highlight
• Ellipses
• Lines
• Arrows
• Text boxes
• Revision number stamps

To permanently keep markups on a document, the markups must be saved. When markups are saved, a revision of the original document bearing the image markups is saved into OnBase.

To be eligible for image markups, a document must:

• Have an Image or Image Rendered PDF File Format
• Belong to a revisable Document Type that allows image markups
• Be unlocked (not in use by another user)

To create an image markup revision of a document, a revision markup needs to be stamped on the document. In addition, users must have the Enable Markup Toolbar privilege granted in order to perform image markups.

Using EDM Services in OnBase Unity client:

Revisions

Revisions are modified copies of an original document where the same file format is maintained. With EDM Services, users can create and manage document revisions. When a document’s content changes, the modified document can be saved as a revision. Previous revisions are retained, allowing you to view prior revisions and track document history.

Document revisions can be created in OnBase, but retrieval or revision procedures vary depending on certain configuration settings of your system. Document revisions are read-only and cannot be deleted. If you modify a previous revision, you can only save the resulting document as a new document.

Note: A revisable document will not have its initial revision created until it has been indexed. Prior to indexing, all changes to the document will not create a new revision.
Note: When you open a document that is currently in use by another user, the document is read-only and you are unable to create revisions of the document.

Creating a Revision by Editing a Document

When you edit a revisable document, you are prompted to save the document either as a revision of the original document or as a new document. When you choose to save or close a document that has been modified, you are prompted by the following screen:

Creating a Revision by Uploading a Document

You may upload a revision of a document into OnBase if the following requirements are met:

• The Document Type that the document is being uploaded into is revisable.
• The Keyword Values on the uploaded document identically match those on an existing document with the same Document Type in OnBase. Depending on your system’s configuration, the uploaded and existing document may be required to have the same Keyword Values for some or all Keyword Types.
• The document in OnBase that has matching Keyword Values is neither open nor checked out by another user.

When you upload a document that contains the same indexing information as another document already residing in OnBase, the Document Revisions dialog box is displayed. From this screen, you can either save the document as a revision of an existing document, or you can save the document as a new document in OnBase.

To save the document as a revision of an existing document:

1. Upload a new document, ensuring the listed requirements are met. The Document Revisions dialog box is displayed.
   
2. Select the document from the list of documents.
3. The selected document is displayed:
   
4. The existing document’s Keyword Values are displayed in the Keywords pane.
5. Click one of the following buttons:

Versions

Versions comprise a series of revisions made to one document. They provide a way of limiting which revisions of a document certain users can see. A user can select a document with one or more revisions and "stamp" the latest revision as a version.

Depending upon your rights, you may only be able to view versions and not revisions. Note: See your system administrator to ensure versions can be created on documents.

Stamping Versions

You can stamp a version from the Revisions and Renditions dialog box. For more information on this dialog box, see Viewing Revision and Version Information.

To stamp a version from the Revisions and Renditions dialog box:

1. Right-click on the latest or desired revision and select Stamp Version.
2. The following screen is displayed:
   
3. In the Version Name field, type a name for the version.
4. Click OK.
5. The Revisions and Renditions dialog box displays versions and revisions of the document. Note: Once you have stamped a version, you may not stamp earlier revisions of documents.

Viewing Revision and Version Information

1. From a document selected in a Document Search Results list, right-click and select Revisions / Renditions or click Revisions on the Document tab. From an open document, right-click and select Revisions / Renditions, click Revisions on the Document tab, or click the Revisions button above the document, as shown in the screen shot below (click image to enlarge):
    
   ** The Revisions button includes the number of revisions and the date of the latest revision
   Note: The Revisions button only displays if there is more than one revision.
2. The Revisions and Renditions dialog box is displayed:
   

3. Depending upon your rights, the following information is displayed:

   Column	Description
   Version #	The revision’s version number.
   Revision #	The number of the revision.
   File Type	The file type of the document.
   Date	When you are viewing revision information, this column displays the date and time the document was created. When you are viewing version information, this column displays the date and time you stamped the version.
   Comment	The revision comment.
   Version Name	The name of the version. Note: The Version Name field has a maximum limit of 15 characters.
   User name	The OnBase user that created the document.

4. To open a specific revision or version, double-click the revision or version you want to view. Note: When you modify the Keyword Values on any revision of a revisable document, these modifications are applied to all revisions of the document.

5. Depending upon whether the Document Type is configured for revisions or versions, you can right-click and select the following options:

   Option	Description
   Stamp Version	Creates a version of a document. For more information about stamping versions, see Stamping Versions (earlier in this article).
   Display Version Info	Displays any versions of the document. This option is available when you are viewing revision information and the document has at least one stamped version.
   Display Revision Info	Displays any revisions made to the document. This option is available when you are viewing version information.

   Note: These right-click options may vary depending upon your User Group and rights.

EDMS Drag and Drop Upload

EDM Services lets you drag and drop upload multiple documents into OnBase. Select files from Windows Explorer and drag them on to the OnBase Unity Client’s Upload layout.

Note: Files dragged and dropped in this manner will be brought into the Upload dialog in the order in which they were selected in Windows Explorer. This order is influenced by which file you click and hold to drag the group of files. For example, if files 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were selected in Windows Explorer and you clicked on file 3 to drag them into the Upload dialog, the files would be organized in the Upload dialog as follows: 3, 4, 5, 1, 2.

You can upload a document, including Microsoft Outlook emails or email attachments, by dragging and dropping them onto the Upload or Preview panes:

Note: If you are in the process of uploading a document and attempt to drag-and-drop upload a document with a different file extension, you are prompted that you have not uploaded your original document. Click Yes to remove the original document and upload the new document. Click No to retain the original document and continue uploading it.

Continue to the steps outlined in the Completing the Upload Process section to preview, edit, and index the newly imported document(s).

Completing the Upload Process

When you upload multiple image documents with the same file extension (i.e., .tif images), you are prompted to combine these image documents into one document. Click Yes to create and import a single multi-page document. Click No to import each document separately using the Queued files for upload pane.

When you upload multiple documents with different file extensions, the Queued files for upload pane displays the names of these documents:

1. The document, or a hyperlink to the document, is displayed in the Preview pane if the File Type is compatible with the Preview pane:
   

   Note: When an OLE document is displayed in the Preview pane, the document can be edited. Modifications are saved when the document is uploaded. Modifications are not saved if you cancel the upload. Any changes you make in the Preview pane are not saved to the original document.
   Note: Preview eligibility is dependent on File Type. Preview of other File Types is handled by Internet Explorer and installed applications.
   If you are importing an image file, a thumbnail viewer is displayed. The following actions are available:

   Pages	Description
   	Move Up moves the selected page up one position.
   	Move Down moves the selected page down one position.
   	Remove removes the selected page.
   	Remove All removes all pages.

   Transforms	Description
   	Rotate Left rotates the document 90 degrees counterclockwise.
   	Rotate Right rotates the document 90 degrees clockwise.

2. From the Document Type Group drop-down list, select the Document Type Group to be assigned to the document by OnBase. After selecting a Document Type Group, OnBase automatically filters the available Document Types in the Document Type drop-down list.

   Note: When <All> is selected, Document Types from all Document Type Groups are available for selection from the Document Type drop-down list.

3. From the Document Type drop-down list, select the Document Type to be assigned to the document by OnBase. After selecting a Document Type, OnBase automatically displays fields for Keyword Types that are used to index documents of that type.

Using Document Templates

Document templates are pre-existing OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) documents that can be used as templates for new OLE documents. Document templates provide you with a base document that can be altered and stored as a new document. For example, your company may have a standard memo format stored as a template, which includes the company logo and address. You can use this document template to create a new document that includes memo text and recipient information, as well as the company logo and address from the template.
To create a new document from a document template:

To create a new document from a document template:

1. From the Home tab, click Templates.
2. The Document Templates layout is displayed.
   You may filter the document templates in the Document Templates pane by typing a value into the Find search box. Templates containing the specified value will be displayed. You may also click the Group by Document Type Group button to organize the document templates in the pane by Document Type Group:
   
3. Select a template from the Document Templates pane. The program used to generate the template opens. For example, in the case of our memo example, Microsoft Word is likely to be the originating program.
4. Make the desired changes to your template and click Save.
5. The Upload layout is displayed.
6. Select a Document Type, and add any Keyword Values you wish to associate with the document. In some cases, you may not be able to override the default Document Type.
7. After indexing the document, click Upload.
8. Depending on your configuration, you may be prompted to enter a revision comment.

Printing Revisions/Versions

When you print a revisable document from the OnBase Unity Client, the following options are available in the OnBase Print pane:

Image Markups

Note: The Markups tab is not available for documents using the Image Rendered PDF file format.

You can apply comments in the form of graphics or text to an image document using the Markups tab:

These comments, or markups, can be permanently saved on the document as a revision.

Note: You can only save image markups on the most recent revision of the document. Image markups can be added to previous revisions and read-only copies of the document but cannot be saved.

The Markups tab is available when your database is licensed for EDM Services and you have an open image document belonging to a Document Type that:

• Is revisable
• Allows image markups

Caution: When applying markups to an image document, do not open the document in multiple Document Viewer windows or panes. If you open a document in multiple Document Viewers, markups can be added to each instance of the document. Adding markups to a document does not refresh the other Document Viewers. Consequently, image markups can be lost.

The following tables describe the tools and buttons available on the Markups tab: 

Note: Markup properties you select in the Markups tab are automatically saved. For example, if you select the Checkmark and then select the color red, the Checkmark color defaults to red next time you select it. These changes are reflected in the OnBase Client as well.

Modify	Description
	Save allows you to save all markups on the document as a new revision. The image markups are permanently burned into the document. Depending on how your system was configured, you may be required to apply a revision stamp with the Revision button before saving image markups. If you attempt to save markups without a revision stamp, OnBase displays a message indicating that a revision stamp is required. Note: If you close a document without saving markups, you are prompted to save markups. Depending on how your system was configured, you may be prompted when you try to save color markups in a black and white image document. Click Save in Color to convert the black and white image document to a color document. This conversion increases the file size of the document. Click Save in Black and White to convert the color markups to black and white.
	Undo allows you to undo the last change to a markup. Creating, deleting, modifying color or weight, moving, and re-sizing a markup can all be undone. Note: If you modify multiple markups at once (for example, by changing the color or weight), modifications are undone one markup at a time.
	Redo allows you to redo the previously undone change. Creating, deleting, modifying color or weight, moving, and re-sizing a markup can all be redone. When you perform a new action, your history of redone actions is cleared. Note: If you modify multiple markups at once (for example, by changing the color or weight), modifications are redone one markup at a time.
	Delete allows you to delete all currently selected markups.
	Selection Zoom allows you to zoom in on the selected region of the document. When this button is selected, click on the document and drag the mouse select a region. Release the mouse button to zoom in on the selected region.
	Hand Tool allows you to pan, or scroll, the document in any direction. When this button is selected, click on the document and drag the mouse to move the document. Note: To pan quickly, hold down the Alt key while moving the mouse.
	Select allows you to select a markup on the document. Clicking the bottom portion of this button displays a drop-down list containing the following: Select Markup allows you to select a markup on the document. Select multiple markups by holding down Ctrl while clicking. Select All Markups allows you to select all markups on the document. You cannot select markups that have been saved to the document.

Line and Shape	Description
	Line allows you to draw a straight line. The color is the same as the color selected from Color. The thickness is the same as the thickness selected from Weight.
	Rectangle allows you draw an opaque rectangle. The color of the rectangle is the same as the color selected from Color.
	Highlight allows you to highlight an area. The highlighted area is the same as the color selected from Color.
	Ellipse allows you to draw an ellipse. The outline color is the same as the color selected from Color. The thickness is the same as the thickness selected from Weight.
	Arrow allows you to draw an arrow. The color is the same as the color selected from Color. The thickness is the same as the thickness selected from Weight.
	Checkmark allows you to place a checkmark on the document. With this tool selected, click anywhere on the document where you want a checkmark displayed. The color is the same as the color selected from Color.
	Freehand allows you to draw a freehand line on the document. It simulates writing on the document with a pen. The color is the same as the color selected from Color. The thickness is the same as the thickness selected from Weight.
	Weight allows you to select the weight that is applied to the Line, Ellipse, Arrow, and Freehand markups.

Note: When a Line and Shape tool is selected, the mouse pointer displays the selected tool.
Note: After you draw an image markup, the image markup selection is cleared. If you hold the Ctrl key while drawing an image markup, you can continue to draw that markup until you release the Ctrl key.

Color

Description

Color allows you to change the color of the selected shape, line, or text. You can select colors from the Current Color Palette, Derived Color Palettes, or Recent Color Palette. Click Advanced to create a custom color. Custom colors are only available during the current OnBase session. When you close OnBase, custom colors are not retained. The next time you start OnBase, you must create the custom colors again. Note: Depending on your configuration, you may only be able to add black or white markups to a black and white image.

Text	Description
	Text Box allows you to mark up an area in the document with a text box, which allows you to enter text into an image document. You may also format the text by selecting it and using the font formatting tools on the Markups tab. After you have finished typing within a text box, click outside of the text box to apply the text to the document.
	Revision allows you to mark up an area of an image document with a text box that contains a revision number, which can be used as the revision identifier of the document. Format the text using the available font formatting tools on the Markups tab. The first revision number applied is 2. The Revision Tool's text box has an opaque white background. When markups are saved, the white background covers any underlying text.
	Font allows you to change the font face of text inside a text box.
	Font Size allows you to change the font size of text inside a text box.
	Bold allows you to make the selected text inside a text box bold.
	Italic allows you to italicize the selected text inside a text box.
	Underline allows you to underline the selected text inside a text box.

Navigation	Description
	Previous Markup allows you to select the markup created before the currently selected markup. If no markup is currently selected, or if the first markup is currently selected, this selects the last markup.
	Next Markup allows you to select the markup created after the currently selected markup. If no markup is currently selected, or if the last markup is currently selected, this selects the first markup.

Modifying Image Markups

As long as the markup has not been saved, you can modify it using the tools described above. Use the Select button to select one or multiple markups.

• To move a markup, select it and click and drag it to a different position on the document.
• To resize a markup, select it and click and drag its edges or corners until the markup is the right size.
• To edit the text within a markup created using the Text Box tool, select it and edit the text. After making your changes, click outside of the text box.

Note: When you are editing image markups, you cannot print or e-mail documents. These functions become available again when the markups are cleared or saved.

Using Persistent Check Out

Note: You can only use persistent check out in the Unity Client. You cannot use persistent check out in other OnBase modules.
You can persistently check out documents in the Unity Client. There are three possibilities for checked out documents:

1. If the file type is supported, a copy of the document is stored on your workstation. See the sections below for more information on which file types are supported for local checkout.
2. If the file type is not supported for check out to the workstation, the document is checked out within OnBase and is held in a state similar to an extended document lock.
3. If configured, documents are checked out to Google Drive.

In all three cases, you can modify this checked out copy of the document without modifying the original copy stored in OnBase. When you check the document back in, it is stored as a revision of the document in OnBase. Previous revisions of documents are not eligible for persistent check out. When you check out a document, the document displays as read-only to other OnBase users.

Note: Checking out to Google Drive is available only if the Google Services features have been enabled. Contact your system administrator for additional information.

Note: It is not possible to check out documents through the Office Business Application modules, even if the document is configured for persistent check out. The Check Out button may appear to be enabled in the Office Business Application viewer ribbon when working with OLE documents, but using this option is not recommended.

Caution: It is considered a best practice to not check out custom file format document types. These documents may not open in the desired associated application when checked out.