The File Manager module provides a group of Libraries that can be used to store and manage files related to your company or to your third-party contacts. It consists of up to five Libraries, allowing you keep your files organised within your Activ system. These Libraries are:
- The Records Library
- The Controlled Documents Library
- The Company Files Library, which is a component of the Customers and Suppliers
- Employee Libraries, which are a component of the Human Resources
- Confidential Libraries, which are a component of the Human Resources
In all cases, these Libraries come with automatic version control for all of your files, enabling you to maintain a detailed audit trail of changes made to files and of users who have viewed files. In addition, the File Manager module provides a File Review feature that includes automated workflows for scheduling file reviews, completing reviews, and approving changes to controlled documents (See the Reviews User Guide).
To make the management of your files simpler, Activ allows you to download a file immediately by clicking on its name, and to access key actions using a shortcut menu to the left of each file. The module also provides a file Search facility to allow you to quickly locate any file in the system (see Search for a File), and a Recycle Bin that temporarily stores deleted files (See Managing the Recycle Bin).
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Depending upon which modules are enabled in your system, there may be up to 10 tabs in the File Manager module. These are:
Controlled Documents – provides a Library for files that undergo periodic or regular formal review and that need to be controlled for compliance or other purposes. These files will typically have multiple versions, and are often of a more business-sensitive matter. Because of this, the Controlled Documents Library provides the option to use Automatic Document Stamping: a feature of Activ that ‘stamps’ files with version control information.
Records – provides a Library for files that contain evidence to show that an activity or process has been completed, and details the information recorded. A record is usually a single event so there will typically only be one version of these files.
Scheduled Reviews – lists all files that have been marked for review, assisting you in managing your system’s file reviews. Files listed in red are overdue and those in black have a review date set in the future.
Download History – lists all files that have been downloaded by a specified user, and is useful when analysing which files individual users are accessing. It can also help you confirm whether users are accessing the files that they should be using.
Search – this tab can be used to locate any file stored within your Activ system (see Search for a File).
Recycle Bin – provides a record of recently deleted files, and stores them for 30 days before permanently erasing them from your system. You can view, restore, or permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin (see Managing the Recycle Bin).
Settings – this tab is available to administrators only, and is used to configure certain aspects of your File Manager module. See Configure File Manager Settings for more information.
Company Files – a component of the Customers and Suppliers module that allows you to store and manage files for third-party companies, and to keep these files organised by company. Each third-party company has its own Library, which can also be managed from within the Customers & Suppliers module (see View and Manage a Company’s Library).
Employee Libraries – a component of the Human Resources module that allows you to store and manage Employee files. Each employee has its own Library, which can also be managed from within the Human Resources module (see The Employee Library – Store an Employee’s Documents Within their Personnel File).
Confidential Libraries – a component of the Human Resources module that allows you to store and manage confidential files relating to your employees. Each employee has its own Library, which can also be managed from within the Human Resources module (see The Confidential Library – Store Sensitive Employee Files Securely).
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Each file’s record consists of up to four tabs: Properties, Download History, and Review Log. A brief explanation of each tab’s use is provided below.
Properties – this displays the file’s key properties and a complete record of the file’s version history. See View a File’s Properties for more information.
Download History – this maintains a complete record of who has downloaded the file and when they last did so, enabling you to ensure that your users have viewed the relevant documents/files. See View a File’s Download History for more information.
Review Log – this tab maintains a record of all formal Reviews of the file. See View a File’s Review Log for more information.
Tasks – this tab provides a register of all Tasks that have been linked to the file. See Link a Task to a File for more information.
