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Document Control Solutions: for the Real World
Document handling not up to your quality standards? Get in control with Carmen Documents.
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Overview of Carmen Documents
Simple. Powerful. Expandable.
Carmen Documents is designed work with your existing document structure. It defaults to proven document control practices. As your comfort with Carmen increases you'll discover its capability and capacity. Carmen may be your first document control solution--but it'll also be your last.
Documents stay in their native format
All documents stay in the format in which they were created. They are not disabled, converted or imported into a database. This maintains existing links to documents and the ability to browse and open documents using Windows Explorer. Continue to use the same applications for viewing and modifying document that you currently use.
All file types are supported
Every electronic file type is supported. Including file types that have yet to be invented. Carmen manages files--regardless of content. Additional functionality is available for text-based documents (such as Word, Excel and PDF)
Documents are hosted on your computers
Documents are not moved to servers outside of your administration. Nothing goes to the "Internet cloud". Everything stays in your control at your site behind your firewall.
Document Creation
New Document
New documents are added to Carmen from exising an file or a new document can be created as a copy of an existing document or template.
Retriever
Check a "watch folder" for new documents
Document Modification
Collaborate
Transfer one or more documents to another user for input.
Custom file associations
Specify different applications to open depending on whether you are editing a document or just viewing it.
Send as email attachment
Send document as an attachment to another Carmen user or person outside of your organization.
Document file operations
Move, copy and rename document and all associated versions including in-work and history. Copy can optionally create a new document entry.
Document change request
Create one or more notes associated with the document record to record requests for modifications to a document. These requests are highlighted until resolved. The administrator determines who can submit a request (DCR)
Change request response
Respond to document change requests (DCR) by accepting or rejecting. Accepted DCR's become a part of the revision record of a document. Rejected DCR's include a note regarding the reason for rejection.
Document Organization
Document Libraries
Documents are stores in their native format in standard Windows directories that Carmen maintains are libraries. Libraries can be located on any networked computer.
Create and modify folders
Create any number of sub folders and move documents between folders with simple drag-and-drop operations.
Create user defined fields
Create searchable fields that contain text, date or numeric data. The fields labels can be modified at any time.
Index document contents
The contents of text-based documents such as Word, Excel and PDF documents can be indexed. This allows lightning quick search results from a set of many thousands of documents.
Document Workflow
Assign document
Assign a document to a specific person for modifications
Transfer document
Transfer an in-work document to another person
Undo sign out
Reverse document sign out
Approvals
Set up multiple approval schemes that specify the signature requirements for a document. Approval schemes can be applied by document, by project, by library or globally.
Revision Control
Sign out document
One person at a time can sign out a document for modification
Submit for approval
After document modification (or creation) is complete, a document is submitted for approval.
Release document
This is the final step of document release after approval. This may generate other steps such a notifications
Sign document
Approve a document for release using user id and password
Document history
All superseded documents are available for reference.
Search
Document List builder
The Document List Builder is a very powerful unique tool in Carmen for document inquiries. Search results can be saved as a static list and search queries can be saved as dynamic lists.
Save document list
Save a static list of documents (i.e. "frequently used documents"). Documents can easily be added or removed from the list
Save document query
Save a dynamic list of documents based on a query. For example, create a dynamic list of documents that a waiting for approval.
Quick Pick
Highlight or select documents within a list using any criteria. Useful in narrowing search within a large group of documents
Search document contents
Text based documents including Word, Excel, PDF can be indexed allowing the contents of the documents to be searched. Contents can also be added manually for any file type including graphics and media files.
Reports
Report generator
Create new report or start from existing report using multiple sources, filters and queries. Start from scratch or copy of an existing report.
Export report data
Export data generated by report to a spreadsheet or an Access database
Save / load report
Save (or load) report settings
Report: Documents signed out
List of documents that have been signed out, grouped by person
Report: Documents approved
List of document that have been approved within given date range
Report: New documents
List of documents created within the last 7 days
Report: New documents (unreleased)
List of new documents that have not been released
Report: document submitted for approval
List of documents waiting for approval before release
Report: Documents not assigned to a library
List of documents that do not yet have a final destination (library)
Report: Open DCR's
List of documents that have unresolved Document Change Requests (DCR) groups by originator
Report: Document history
Revision history of a group of documents
Report: Master document list
List of group of documents and the current revision designation
Report variables
Support for variables (i.e. %today automatically enters today's date). Numeric and data variables can include operations (i.e. %today+7 enters a date one week from today)
Security
Document content monitoring
Carmen begins to monitor the contents of documents as soon as the document is submitted for approval and throughout the documents's life. This flags a document in the event that any unauthorized modification occurs outside of Carmen.
Protected libraries
Even though documents are keep in their native format in standard Windows directories they are protected from modification outside of Carmen using permissions on the operating system level. [Enterprise Edition only]
Authorizations
Once security has been enabled the administrator can establish authorizations for users that set who can perform document workflow opertaions and system administration. Many of the features listed here require approriate authorization to perform.
Administration
Overvew of Carmen Administration
The administrator is the person (or persons) designated to establish document policy, security and user setup. The administrator also determines the user licencing of Carmen.
Create/modify User defined fields
Customer define fields can be defined as text, numeric or date. Data can be entered into text box or selected from a list. The list can be limited to pre-defined data or appended "on the fly" as determined by the administrator.
Document record change permissions
The administrator determines when a document record can be modified and by whom.
Revision Format
The administrator determines the format of the revision designation. For instance, alphabetic, numeric of a combination for major/minor revisions. Minor revisions can be enabled or prohibited.
Document record automation
The properties of most text-based document such as Word, Excel and PDF can be extracted automatically into the document record. The administrator determines the behavior of this.
Email Notices
The administrator determines the default text of email notices to users and when users are notified via email of documents events such as sign-out, request for approval (digital signature), transfer, assign, re-assign and release.
Authorizations
The administrator determines authorizations of groups of users. Group memebrship determines the permissions users have to release, view and modify documents.
Approval Schemes
The signatures required to release a documents is established by the administrator or someone the administrator designates. See more on this topic in "Security"
Library Administration
The administrator determined the properties such as the security and location of document storage, the approval scheme required to release a document into the library, the file types allowed in the library and the sub directories that are included in the library. The administrator also determines library visibility.
Library Utilities: Synchronize Library
Automatic File Naming
New documents can be named automatically with a prefix and sequential number as determined by the administrator.