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DMS use cases

This page describes typical use cases in a document management system concerning uploading and handling documents, uploaded documents, managing documents, and qualification tests.


Typical use cases concerning document handling in the document management system are: 


Typical use cases for uploaded documents are: 


Typical use cases concerning document management are: 


Typical use cases concerning qualification tests are:


Document handling

Typical use cases concerning document handling are: 

Add/upload document(s) to the DMS

A user wants to upload a single document.

  • add a single document

A user wants to upload several documents at once to the same folder.

  • add documents to the same folder

Publish a new document in DMS

A user wants to publish a new document to readers.

The publishing process includes the following steps:

  1. upload the document including some configuration (description, category)
  2. edit the document if needed (e.g. user field values)
  3. approve the document (see also use case Approve a document)
  4. release the document including setting the expiration date

Configure a document in DMS

A user needs to edit the configurations of a document.

The document configuration includes the following steps:

  1. open Documents in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking the button []

Some configurations can only be edited for the document status new or editing:

  1. if the document is published: set document status to "editing"
  2. edit description / category or category code (needed for approval process) / userfield values if needed (general information)
  3. edit document approval if needed (only for approval setting types Four eyes principle and Advanced approval)
  4. if the document needs to be published:
    approve the document (see also use case Approve a document)
    release the document including setting the expiration date

Configurations that can be edited independently from the document status:

Replace a document in DMS

A user wants to replace a document.

The replacement includes the following steps:

  1. open Documents in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking the button []
  4. if the document is published: set document status to "editing"
  5. click the button Replace File and follow the dialog
  6. edit name, description, category, tags etc. if needed
  7. if the document needs to be published:
    approve the document (see also use case Approve a document)
    release the document including setting the expiration date

Approve a document in DMS

A user wants to approve a document.

The approval process includes the following steps:

  1. define the appropriate approval level for the document (basic approval, four eyes principle or advanced approval)
  2. check/edit the approval levels and approver list under "Document approval"
  3. check if the approval setting of the category is as needed:
    a) does the category follow the global approval settings or
    b) is the category assigned to a suitable custom approval setting (see also use case Configure the approval settings)
  4. if needed, change approval levels and approval list for this individual document under "Document approval" directly at the document
  5. for four eyes principle or advanced approval: set document status to "Under Approval"
    for basic approval, the button Approve is next to the dropdown list Document status
  6. approve the document according to the approval level and the settings of the category

Make a document available in several folders

It's possible to show the same document in different folders. It's always the same document so if it is changed in one folder, it's updated wherever it is linked.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open Documents in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. activate its checkbox
  4. copy the document to another folder
  5. To see all folders containing this document, click the button []. All folders containing this document get a black folder icon.

It is also possible to copy several documents from the same folder to others.

Please note: the user fields displayed for this document depend on the currently opened folder (see also use case Define displayed user fields or a document).

Review a document after end of expiration period

A user needs to review a document with expired validation.

After following the company regulation for the corresponding document to generate un updated version, the process can be as following:

  1. open the document in DMS by clicking the button []
  2. set document state to "editing"
  3. replace the document if needed in general information
  4. check configurations as name, description, category, tags etc. and correct them if needed (see also use case Configure a document)
  5. approve the document (see also use case Approve a document)
  6. release the document including setting the expiration date

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Working with uploaded documents

Typical use cases for uploaded documents are:

Read a document

A user wants to read a document in the end user portal.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open the end user portal in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking on its row and start to read

View a document

A user wants to view  the original file of a document under Documents.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open Documents in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking the button []
  4. click the button Open file

Download a document

A user wants to download a document.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open the end user portal in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking on its row
  4. click the download button of the used browser

Print a document

A user wants to download a document.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open the end user portal in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking on its row 
  4. click the print button of the used browser

Share a document

A user wants to share a document. A document link can either be shared using the end user portal or using related documents.

The process via end user portal includes the following steps:

  1. open the end user portal in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking on its row
  4. click the button []

The process via related documents includes the following steps:

  1. open Documents in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document
  4. click Related documents
  5. click the button [] of the document you want to share and select Copy Hyperlink

Please note: Documents may have restricted access so it is possible that some users can't see them.

Perform a qualification test on a document

A user wants to perform a qualification test on a document in the end user portal.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. open the end user portal in the main DMS navigation bar
  2. find the document by browsing folders or searching the shortcuts
  3. open the document by clicking on its row
  4. click the button Qualification Tests
  5. start the test by clicking the button [] and follow the dialog
  6. do the test
  7. submit the test
  8. after evalution, click the button [] to see your result


Back to top  |  go to   Document handling   |  Uploaded documents   |   Document management   |   Qualification tests    

Document management

Typical use cases concerning document management are:

Displayed document user fields

A user needs user fields that are displayed with the document (both in the table of the folder and in the general information of this document)

The user fields displayed in a document are defined by the folder containing the document: if a document is included in several folders, the shown user fields may vary. All other fields are just hidden.

Creating user fields for a new folder

The process includes the following steps:

  1. define the needed information given by user fields → create user fields
  2. define typical values for each user field → create catalogs
  3. define typical combinations of user fields → create user field schemas
  4. create a new folder and assign a fitting user field schema
  5. upload a new document  (see also use case upload a document)
  6. check the user fields in general information: are the default values ok for this document?
    if yes: you're done
    if no: click the button [] of the value and set it accordingly

Adapting user fields for a folder

To adapt the displayed user fields of a document in a folder, you can either

Please note: if you change an existing user field schema and if this user field schema is assigned to other folders, these folders also get the updated user field schema.

Configure the approval settings

A user needs to configure the approval settings for a document.

The approval setting is a combination of approval and release settings to define the approval type, e.g. basic approval, and a predefined list of approval levels and approvers set under categories.
The predefined list is set in a category. The category can be assigned to a custom approval and release setting.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. define the needs for a document / a document group
  2. check if the assigned category covers the needs regarding approval levels and approvers
  3. check if the assigned approval and release settings cover the needs regarding approval type

Define the needs of a document:

  1. what approval type is needed?
  2. are approval levels needed? If yes, how many?
  3. define the approver(s) of the document
  4. what release settings are needed?


Check the category if it is already assigned:

  1. check the category according to the needs of the document
    check the approval levels of the category
    check the list of approvers
  2. if the category is not suitable, either edit it or assign/select another (newly created) category to the document with the needed details


Check the approval and release settings of the category:

  1. check if the category is assigned to custom approval and release settings (e.g. using the browser search for the category name) 
  2. if the category is not yet assigned to a custom approval and release setting, check if the global setting is suitable
  3. if the assigned custom approval and release setting or the global setting is not suitable:
    assign the category to another suitable custom approval and release setting or create a new custom approval setting (set the needed settings and assign the category)

Please note: the category settings of a document, e.g. the list of approvers, are copied from the assigned category at the moment of assignment. If the category is modified at a later date, the document remains unaffected. These settings can be changed for each document directly when editing the document (see also use case approve a document). Changes in the approval settings however are directly applied to unapproved documents.

Manage folders containing documents

A user wants to manage folder in the document management system to structure information.

A folder can be

The user field schema of the folder can be changed (see also use cases on user fields).


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Qualification tests

Typical use cases concerning qualification tests are:

Create a qualification test

A user wants to create a new qualification test.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. Add a new test
  2. Edit the test:
    create questions and their answers
    assign documents
  3. publish the test

To assign users to the test, these users need to be assigned to the corresponding document.

A document can be assigned to various qualification tests. A qualification test can be assigned to various documents (see also use case Preparation that users can perform a qualification test).

Preparation that assigned users can perform a qualification test on a document

A user wants to make qualification test(s) for a document available for readers.

The process includes the following steps:

  1. Create a qualification test including questions (see also use case Create a qualification test)
  2. Assign document(s) to the qualification test (in test details) or assign a qualification test to the document (in edit fields)
  3. Assign users to document
  4. Release the document if not yet released

The reader can perform the qualification test in the end user portal by clicking on the document (see also use case Perform a qualification test).

The score is displayed in qualification statuses. The creator of the test can also see the test results under qualification tests.


Back to top  |  go to   Document handling   |  Uploaded documents   |   Document management   |   Qualification tests