Approval and release settings in DMS
The "Global settings for document approval and release" <1> define the general handling for all documents if not defined otherwise, e.g. all new documents get the basic approval process and don't require a comment for release. The "Custom settings for document approval and release (step by step)" <4> offer the option to define approval settings different from the global setting. In custom settings, the release settings have more options. Documents are assigned to custom settings by their document category.
The illustration shows the approval and release settings: (1) global settings, (2) document approval settings, (3) custom settings, (4) document release settings
Approval settings <2>
The configuration for approval settings define the process for a newly uploaded document. The "Global settings for document approval and release" define the general handling for all documents if not defined otherwise, e.g. all new documents get the basic approval process. The "Custom settings for document approval and release (step by step) <4>" offer the option to assign a different document approval setting, e.g. no approval or a strict approval process. In custom settings, the document category is assigned to the custom approval setting. Document categories are managed here. The categories define the general presetting approval setting for a document. The approval processes are described here.
Release settings <4>
Approved documents or updated documents (with minor changes) need to be released to the end user. It can be necessary to add a comment about changes, current version etc. In this case, the global settings and the custom settings offer the checkbox "Comment Required". The "Custom settings for document approval and release (step by step)" offer the option to define document categories with a different release setting, e.g. comment required or not. The release process is described here.
Default expiration in months
Information on this optional field can be found under "Global settings for document approval and release".