Electronic Document Management – EDM
SILVERPEAS’s flagship application is undoubtedly the EDM (Electronic Document Management). It helps to overcome all the classic and well-known problems encountered with a file server. SILVERPEAS stands out for the ease of use of its EDM, its advanced configuration, and a CMS approach that democratizes this type of tool.
It’s the ideal application for storing and sharing reference documents, HR or project documents, minutes, press reviews…
Simple or advanced use
The Electronic Document Management application can be used simply (list of files or folder tree) or in a more advanced way to create a true knowledge base.
Thanks to the concept of publication, it’s possible to group several files that should not be separated from each other. Moreover, rich or structured content can complement these files.
This content allows for providing additional information, summarizing the content of the files, or both.
Folders
The folder tree is unlimited. Each folder can be enhanced with a rich introduction. To preserve the confidentiality of documents, it’s possible to manage different rights on each folder (managers, publishers, editors, readers).
For greater flexibility, folders can be moved or duplicated within the same EDM or to another EDM.
Each user can subscribe to the folders they wish to follow. Thus, as soon as a new document is added or a document is modified, they will be notified.
Two visualization modes of the tree structure are available: classic explorer or level by level.
Publications
Publications provide a more evolutionary approach than a simple file tree. A publication can be limited to a single file, directly viewable thanks to the viewer. But it can also contain several. Thus, inseparable files are grouped on the same page. It can also contain rich content (WYSIWYG) or structured content (form). The contributor can then add a summary of the attached files and/or additional information to these files.
In fact, a publication is constructed in the same way as an email: header, possible content, and possible files.
Classification / Ubiquity
A publication (and therefore the document(s) attached to this publication) is stored in a folder. This is its main location.
But a publication can be classified in other folders (within the same EDM or other EDMs). These are called shortcuts. In these other folders, the publication is read-only regardless of the user’s role.
This is a very interesting feature of our Electronic Document Management because it allows maintaining a reference EDM (in read/write) and exposing the documents in other EDMs, for other users, in read-only.
Publications can also be classified on the classification plan (taxonomy).
Dissemination
Documents are accessible and thus disseminated taking into account user rights. Rights are managed at the folder and sub-folder level.
Drag and drop
Each reader can quickly preview a file (preview) and consult it in its entirety (viewer). SILVERPEAS thus offers an ergonomic visualization service that is totally independent of the applications installed on the user’s computer.
The preview allows previewing images as well as the first page of office documents (text, PDF, MS Office, Libre/OpenOffice). The user can thus check the nature of the file without needing to download it in its entirety.
The viewer, like the preview, abstracts the file type. The native application is not essential. Thus, even if the user doesn’t have the MS Powerpoint application, they will be able to consult a PPT presentation without any difficulty and with great reading comfort. Thanks to the viewer, the file is never downloaded to the user’s computer.
These features are not limited to EDM. They are accessible whenever a file is accessible (other applications, search results, File type field in forms).
Glisser/déposer
Documents are easily added by a simple drag and drop either into an existing publication or directly into a folder.
Dropped folders are automatically replicated in the intranet. The tree structure is preserved. Data recovery is ultra-fast.
Sharing
It’s possible to share a document, a publication, or even a complete folder with unauthorized users. This is possible thanks to the sharing functionality.
If the platform is open on the internet, the EDM then transforms into a real sharing tool that avoids using an FTP server or Cloud solutions (such as DropBox or WeTransfer) to transmit large files to third parties. Moreover, files are not duplicated (unlike all cloud tools).
The sharing links thus created can even be used from a website. The content will always be up to date!
Targeted alert
In addition to subscriptions that generate notifications at the user’s initiative and without the contributor’s knowledge, the latter can, if desired, alert groups and/or users of their choice at any time, especially after updating a document. Several advantages to this:
- the list of recipients is based on the list of potential readers → no risk of selecting wrong recipients,
- the contributor uses the intranet directly instead of using their messaging → time saved by using a single tool.
Lifecycle and validation
A publication is in one of the following states:
- Draft: the publication is visible only to the contributor,
- Pending validation: the publication is no longer a draft. A publisher’s validation is awaited. The publication is not yet visible to readers.
- Validated: the publication has been validated by a publisher. It is now visible to all authorized readers.
- Rejected: the publication has been rejected by a publisher. The contributor has been notified of the rejection and its reason.
Optionally, the EDM application offers 4 validation modes depending on its context of use:
- Classic: one of the validators must validate,
- Targeted (one validator): the validator targeted by the contributor must validate,
- Targeted (several validators): all validators targeted by the contributor must validate,
- Collegial: all validators identified on the folder or application must validate.
Files
Update – Online editing
An office document, once stored in the EDM, can be updated directly, without having to save it first on the user’s computer. Thanks to the Edit online action, the file is reserved then opened with MS Office or Open/Libre Office. A reserved file is clearly indicated by displaying the name of the user who made the reservation as well as the date. When saving, the modifications are saved directly on the intranet. When the user has finished their modifications, they can release the file and thus make the latest version available to all authorized readers. Subscribers are automatically notified of the modification.
Since version 6.2, Silverpeas also offers document editing directly in the browser. Based on Libre Office Online and Collabora, it also allows simultaneous editing between multiple users.
Version tracking
It’s possible to keep the history of versions of a file thanks to the Enable version tracking action. This functionality can be activated on a case-by-case basis (file by file) or transversally to the EDM application (for all files in the EDM). Each version of the file is then either a working version (x.1, x.2, x.3…) or a public version (1.0, 2.0, 3.0). The choice of version type is made by the contributor at the time of version recording. The contributor can leave a note relating to the version. This note enriches the history.
Contributors have access to all versions. Readers access only public versions. The Latest public version parameter allows only the latest public version to be accessible to readers.
See also
You can easily create links between publication A and publication B. The user can thus easily navigate from publication A to publication B (and vice versa).
Reminder
A reminder system can be set up to deal with publications that become obsolete and/or those that need to be revised. Two meta-data exist on publications: Reminder date and Notes.
They are grouped under the label Reminder in the header of publications. They can be modified at any time (before and after the reminder date) like any publication meta-data.
The reminder date can also be freely deleted.
On the specified reminder date, a notification is automatically sent to the creator and the last modifier of the publication. It contains the title, description, and a link to this publication. The content of the Notes field is also contained in this notification.
Archiving
The Electronic Document Management application has an export functionality that ensures the reversibility of its contents. EDM managers can export the entire EDM or a given folder.
The result of this export is a ZIP file that contains the exact replication of the tree structure in which it’s possible to navigate offline with any internet browser.
Other frequently used features
Among the other features offered by the Electronic Document Management application, we can mention: reading controls, comments, moving by simple drag and drop… And co-writing: which allows instantaneous writing of a document with multiple hands 👍🏻
Transversal functionalities available in this application
- Documents,
- Rich WYSIWYG text editor,
- Custom form,
- Subscriptions,
- Notifications,
- Comments,
- Taxonomy.