Document Types

When you register a document, you must enter the document type. The ODM administrator must define document types in the Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) session.

The document type is used to define the document revision mode, and can optionally be used to determine the following:

  • The mask that must be used for the document identifier and the document revisions.
  • The file types that can be attached to the document revisions.

The document type can be used together with the Object Data Management authorization mechanism to limit access to various types of documents to various user roles. For example, a user with the role of Electrical Engineer can be authorized to edit documents of the electrical document type, but can be authorized only to view documents of type Mechanical Document.

Document Revision modes

The definition of a document type includes specification of the following:

  • Revision type: The possibilities are alphanumeric revisions or release date revisions. Masks must usually be used to set the format of the revision value for alphanumeric or release date revision values.
  • Whether to use hard copy and file revisions: If used, whenever the revision of an attached file or hard copy is changed, the document revision changes correspondingly.

The combination of these two parameters results in one of four possible revision modes, as follows:

  • Alphanumeric revisions with no hard copy or file revisions

    The document revision value is alphanumeric, and the user sets the value’ s format. For example, the format can be:

    • A, B, C, and so on
    • R01, R02, R03, and so on
    • A1, A2, A3, and so on
    • B1, B2, B3, and so on

    Hard copies and files do not have revisions.

  • Release date revisions with no hard copy or file revisions
    The document revision is set automatically to the release date when the revision is released. For example, this value can be 1998-05-12. Hard copies and files do not have revisions.
  • Alphanumeric revisions that use hard copy and file revisions
    Hard copies and files have alphanumeric revision values whose format the user can set. If the document revision is submitted, the revision value is set automatically to the highest revision of the attached hard copies and files.
  • Release date revisions using hard copy and file revisions
    The revision values of documents, hard copies, and files are set automatically to the release date when the document revision is released.
To start Document Types

To start the Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) session, on the Object Data Management menu, double-click Document Management > Documents > Document Types.

The Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) overview session appears which includes a list of all document types already defined:
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To register a document type
To register a document type, take the following steps:
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  1. In the Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) overview session, on the File menu, click New. The Document Type (dmdoc2110s000) details session starts.
  2. Enter the name and description for the new document type.
  3. The optional Committee field enables you to assign a review committee for the newly created document type. Each committee will include reviewers.
  4. Click the browse arrow that corresponds to the Library field to start the Libraries (dmsys0540m000) session and specify the library to enter. A default library is assigned to this document type so that a library is automatically shown to each document during the document’ s creation, depending on the selected document type. If the default library is not required, you can change the library, according to the requirements while you create a document.
  5. Select the required revision type from the list, alphanumeric revisions, or release date revisions.
  6. Select the Use Hard Copy and File Revisions check box if hard copy and file revisions must be used for the document type.
To assign file types to document types

You can limit the types of files that can be attached to documents of various types. The file type assignments are defined in the Document Type - File Type Assignment (dmdoc2550m000) session to assign file types to document types.

If no file types are assigned to a particular document type, you can attach all file types to that document type. However, if at least one file type is assigned to a particular document type, only files of the specified file types can be attached to a document of that document type.

To assign file types to document types, on the Object Data Management menu, double-click Document Management > Files > Document Type > File Type Assignment.

Alternatively, in the Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) overview session, select the document type for which you want to assign file types, and on the appropriate menu, click Document Type - File Type Assignments.

The Document Type - File Type Assignment (dmdoc2550m000) session starts, which includes a list of any file types already assigned to the document type that appears at the top of the list:
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To add an additional file type to the displayed document type, take the following steps:

  1. Click New on the File menu. A new record appears.
  2. Use the browse arrow to start the File Type (dmdoc4110m000) session, and either select an existing file type, or create a new file type.

To list and assign file types for a different document type, click Next Group and Previous Group, or Find, to locate the required document type.

To assign file types to a document type to which no file types have yet been assigned, take the following steps:

  1. Click New Group and click the browse arrow to start the Document Types (dmdoc2510m000) session.
  2. Select an existing document type or create a new document type.
  3. Assign one or more file types to the document type, as described previously.
Document revisions – easy entry

The salient features of the document revisions – easy entry concept are as follows:

  • In ODM, you can attach a file to a document revision, if the revision is in In Design status and if the attached files are located in the defined work area with a Check Out status.
  • Multiple revisions can be maintained for a single document, in case of parallel development.
  • Because the documents are revision-controlled, you can use the Multi Main Table (MMT) concept to view the attached files with more ease of use for a particular document revision.
  • You can use the Hard Copies session to maintain the hard copies for a document revision. The location of hard copy with its relevant details for a particular document revision can be seen from the Multi Main Table session or document revision itself.
  • The reviewer for a particular document revision can provide the recommendation and this operation can be made directly from the MMT session of document review session.
  • If a document revision consists of multiple related documents, the links between the documents are maintained in the Related Documents session.
  • The compound document is seen as a set of documents that are related in a particular order: either a set of parallel documents, or a main document and the document’ s sub-documents.
  • The main document and the document’ s sub-documents are maintained using the parent child relationship from the document revisions.
  • To realize the concept of having a single view of all these documents from document revision, you can use the MMT concept.
The following figure shows the Document Revisions (dmdoc1520m000) session:
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