Set up the library before the first upload
The order in which to prepare workspaces, document types, retention policies, permissions and feature switches.
Before you begin
You need dms.configure to create folders, types and policies, or be a company administrator for the feature switches.
The first time anyone opens Documents > Library, the system creates starting masters: four retention policies (Commercial records 5 years, Tax 5 years, Personnel 5 years from expiry, Permanent 100 years), six document types (Contract, Licence, Certificate, Finance, Policy, General) and six workspaces (Company, Finance, Human Resources, Contracts, Legal, Shared). It also builds the index of files kept by other modules.
Set up in this order
- Review the retention policies. Open Documents > Configuration > Retention policies. Check each period with your legal adviser. Edit a policy, or click New policy. See Configure workspaces, types and retention.
- Review the document types. Open Documents > Configuration > Document types. Check the kinds of file accepted, the largest size (MB), the sensitivity and the policy of each. Create types you need.
- Create workspaces and folders. Open Documents > Configuration > Workspaces and folders and click New folder. Leave Inside empty to create a workspace. For confidential areas such as HR, enter the permission needed in Only for holders of permission (for example
hr.private.view). Type the code exactly: a typo hides the folder from everyone. - Check which stores you can open. Open Documents > Configuration > Indexed stores. It lists each store of another module and the permission it needs. Rows marked Hidden from you are stores you cannot open.
- Decide the optional parts. In Administration > Applications > Documents > Features, you can switch off Retention and disposal and Indexed external stores. The library and legal hold are always on. Under Fields, make Document description, Document date and Folder description Optional, Required or Hidden. A second administrator must approve each change: one proposes, another approves.
- Give people permissions. Use the table below.
- Upload the first file. See Upload and classify documents.
Permissions
| Permission | Allows |
|---|---|
dms.view | Open the library, preview and download files you may see, run reports. |
dms.manage | Upload, edit details, add versions, archive. |
dms.dispose | Place and release a legal hold, propose and review disposals. |
dms.configure | Create and edit folders, document types and retention policies. |
Operational roles do not get dms.dispose by default. Keep it with a small group.
A file is visible only if you can read the record it belongs to. Employee papers need hr.private.view, payroll bank files need payroll.view and recruitment files need hr.applicant.all. If someone cannot find a file, check the store's permission on the Indexed stores screen.
What happens next
Once folders and types exist, clerks can upload files and link them to records. The library tabs fill with counts and the reports start to show data.