Question 1:

What is the difference between a document and a record in FileNet terms?

Answer:

A document is a file that you can be create, save, and subsequently retrieve and update, replacing the old version with the updated version.

A record is a reference to information and provides metadata to manage the information. Records can electronic or physical (i.e. a document stored in CE or a physical book).

A document which is added to an IBM FileNet P8 content repository, but it is not yet declared as a record is called as ‘document’, not a record. As soon as the document is declared as a record, we consider the document a record.

Document objects are stored in the Records-enabled content Object Store (ROS) and the corresponding record objects are stored in the File Plan Object Store (FPOS).

Question 2:

Should all the properties of CE replicated to RM?

Answer:

No. One should avoid duplicating the properties unless and until it represent a specific requirement.

Properties which have functional need for document management should be used in CE, while properties which have functional need for records management should be used in RM. If a property happens to be needed for both, then it should exist in both.

Many ECM architects use the exact same properties in ROS (CE) and FPOS (RM) for simplicity.

Question 3:

How many document can be stored a Records Manager's ‘Record Category’?

Answer:

There is no limit on number of document stored on Records Category. The 'Record' is simply a custom object stored in database.

A record is a reference to information and provides metadata to manage the information. Records can electronic or physical (i.e. a document stored in CE or a physical book).

An electronic record points to an electronic document, such as a Content Engine (CE) document or an email message.

A physical record, sometimes referred to as a marker, is metadata about a physical document or other object, such as paper records, tape, or microfilm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Events and subscriptions

Events provide a mechanism for initiating actions that are invoked when objects are created and modified in, and deleted from, an object store. For example, creating a document in an object store triggers a create event, which launches a workflow that approves the new document and posts the approved content to a Web site.

 

A subscription is the association of a particular event trigger with an event action.

Subscriptions can be associated with a class so that they apply to the class itself or to all instances or all objects of the class type. Or, subscriptions can be associated with individual objects. Event subscriptions can be run synchronously or asynchronously. When set to run synchronously, the object operation (for example, create or update) and the operations of the event actions are completed as a single transaction; failure in either results in rollback of both operations.

 

Isolated regions

An isolated region is a logical subdivision of the workflow database that contains the queues for the work items, event logs, rosters, and other configuration information. It also contains all transferred workflows and running work items. A workflow database can contain up to 1000 isolated regions, although a FileNet P8 system can access only one at a time. Within a workflow database, each isolated region is identified by a unique number ranging from 0 to 999. Isolated region 0 contains system data and is reserved for system software use. Users can define regions 1 - 999.

 

About queues

Queues hold work items waiting to be processed. You can manage the following types of queue using Process Configuration Console:

• User queues - Each user has an Inbox that holds work items assigned to that user. A user might also have a queue of Tracker items. The Inbox and Tracker queues are created automatically during initialization of the isolated region.
• You can use Process Configuration Console to modify user queue properties—change the queue's description, add or delete system and data fields, create indexes, and configure users' privileges for accessing the queue.
• Work queues - A work queue holds work items that can be completed by one of a number of users, rather than by a specific participant, or work items that can be completed by an automated process. In a workflow definition, the workflow author can assign steps to a specific work queue.
• Use Process Configuration Console to create and configure work queues, specifying the queue properties.
• Component queues - To process a workflow step using an external entity, such as a Java™ object or (Workplace only) Java messaging system (JMS), you use Process Configuration Console to configure a component queue.

 

 

Lifecycles

Administrators can use document lifecycles to define a sequential set of states that a document will go through over its lifetime, as well as the actions that are triggered when it transitions from one state to another.

 

Search

Content Engine supports property and content-based searching. Key capabilities of search include the following: 

1. A single search can span multiple object stores in different databases.
2. Workplace users can search for documents, folders, and custom objects. Searches can be designed to specify multiple folders, including a common folder name used in multiple object stores.
3. Search templates provide a simple user interface for entering search criteria.

 

Versioning

You can create different versions of content to maintain a history of changes and to control which users can change the content at a given time. The set of versions for a single document is called a version series. Content Engine supports a two-level versioning scheme, in which a document version is either a major or minor version. Minor versions typically denote an “in-progress” document, whereas a major version typically denotes a completed document

 

 

Classification

Classification is the process of assigning metadata to content, specifically the selection of a document class and property values. Classification can also be accomplished by filing objects into folders that define classification taxonomies. Classification can be performed:

1          By a user. 

2          By an application that uses the FileNet P8 APIs. 

3          Automatically by using the content-based classification capability provided in the platform. 

 

Entry templates

Users can easily add documents, folders, and custom objects to an object store using entry templates. Entry templates also make it easy to define approval workflows for these objects.  When using the entry template to add a document to the object store, a user interacts with a wizard, which decreases the chance of invalid data entry by limiting the number of steps required and providing a more controlled entry process.

Entry templates are created in Workplace. Some of the key capabilities of entry templates and advantages to using them are as follows: 

1          Documents, folders, form data, and custom objects can be created with entry templates.

2          Users who are not administrators can create entry templates. For example, a project manager can create the entry templates used by her project team.

3          Entry templates support FileNet P8 records management by providing a simplified and customizable method of declaring a document as a record.

4          Entry templates can specify the folder in which the object will be filed, can either prevent or allow the user to change the folder, and can restrict the user to selecting a particular folder or its subfolders.

 

Import and export

Content Engine provides an import and export capability for moving objects from one object store to another. In Enterprise Manager, an administrator can select the objects to export. Dependencies between objects are detected so that all related objects can also be exported in the appropriate order for import. For example, if a folder is exported, the user can also choose to export all documents in the folder without selecting the documents individually. The folder will be exported first, followed by the documents. The export manifest is a list of all of the objects that the administrator has requested to export. The user can view and modify this list, and then perform the export operation, which copies the data to an XML file. Content Engine XML import and export APIs include security information related to objects. The exported XML includes the security and owner information for the object. You can import the security information and owner information independently. The APIs don’t circumvent any security associated with the FileNet P8 domain or the FileNet P8 object store; these permissions are still checked when trying to update security and owner through import. 

 

 

Integration with external storage devices

Content Federation Services (CFS) enables you to integrate data in an external repository with FileNet P8 and access the documents as though they were stored in a FileNet P8 object store. 

CFS creates a reference within an object store that points to the source document in an external repository. The document in the FileNet P8 object store is represented by metadata only; the document in the external repository contains all its original content. In addition, CFS provides a mechanism for mapping source document metadata to Content Engine document properties.

The process of creating a Content Engine document that references a document in an external repository and mapping the source document metadata to Content Engine document properties is called federation.

 

Integration with Image Services 

Content Federation Services for Image Services (CFS-IS) natively integrates and federates content from Image Services repositories. CFS-IS enables Content Engine to use Image Services as another content storage device. Users of FileNet P8 applications have full access to content stored in existing Image Services repositories.

 

 

Image Services and Content Engine catalog synchronization

For those enterprises wishing to gradually migrate content from an Image Services system to a Content Engine system, dual cataloging of documents is an option. Image Services documents are cataloged in the Content Engine catalog, but can also be cataloged in the Image Services catalog, resulting in all content being accessible by both Image Services applications and any application built on the FileNet P8 platform.

Both the Image Services and Content Engine catalogs are masters and are automatically synchronized by CFS-IS. If properties change in Image Services, they are automatically propagated to the Content Engine catalog. Note that synchronization is not bidirectional; that is, updates in the Content Engine catalog do not propagate back to the Image Services catalog.

 

Integration with Content Services and other repositories 

IBM Content Integrator provides access to information in Content Services and in repositories acquired from other vendors. Before accessing the information, you must: 

1          Create the data maps that identify how metadata in the external repository maps to document properties in the FileNet P8 object store. In general, there is one data map per source repository. Multi-value properties are supported for metadata mapping. 

2          Define federation rules that identify which documents to federate and which folders will store the federated documents in the FileNet P8 object store. 

 

 

Workflow definitions 

By creating a workflow definition, you can define the activities and resources required to accomplish a business process. A workflow definition consists of a series of process steps connected together by a series of routes, which define the sequence in which the steps are executed. The workflow definition acts as a processing template that is used each time the workflow runs, routing the work to the specified participants or processes, along with the data, attachments (documents, folders, and custom objects), and other information needed to complete the activities. 

 

 

Process submaps 

Processes can be developed using a collection of nested subprocesses, or submaps. Submaps can be defined in Process Designer or they can be imported from another process definition. 

 

 

Steps

The steps in a workflow either represent a specific business task or a system activity. A business task can be executed by an individual user, by a group of users, and/or by an automated application. There are several different step types: 

1          A launch step is the first step on the main map of a workflow.

2          An activity step can be either a participant step, a work queue step, or an unassigned step:

1. A participant step has an associated user or collection of users, all of whom must process the item to complete the step. The identity of these users can be defined at runtime through the use of workflow groups; thus a single workflow definition can exhibit different behavior depending on the value of the user identities contained in the workflow groups defined for that specific workflow.
2. A work queue step routes work to a specified work queue for processing by a participant from a pool of participants or by an automated application.
3. An unassigned step is one that is not assigned to a participant or a work queue. These steps are processed immediately by the system.

3          A system step identifies one or more system functions that provide specific functionality within a workflow. Examples of such functionality include setting time limits for certain activities, assigning data field values, creating new workflow instances, and suspending the workflow for a specified period of time or until a specified condition is met. 

4          A submap step calls another workflow map. An individual submap can be referenced multiple times within a workflow definition, and multiple levels of nesting (for example, submaps within submaps) are supported.

5          A start step is the first step on a submap.

6          A component step executes operations in an external program, also referred to as a component. Components are controlled by using Component Manager on the Application Engine server and are configured using Process Configuration Console.

 

 

Work management

Work management provides users with a set of tasks that they need to perform. Work is managed in several types of queues, which are database structures that hold work items. User queues (called My Inbox in Workplace) hold work items waiting to be processed by a specific user. Public queues hold work items that can be completed by any user in the assigned group.

 

 

Workplace XT and Workplace

FileNet P8 includes two application environments to provide users with enterprise content management (ECM) functionality:

1          Workplace XT – Workplace XT is the next-generation FileNet P8 platform Web application. Building on a familiar browse and search interface, users can quickly become productive in their content management environment. Workplace XT provides the tools (such as Process Designer and entry templates) by which business application designers can access the document management and business process management features of FileNet P8.

 

Workplace XT automatically provides the following folders:

1          A Favorites folder where you can store links to frequently accessed folders and documents.

2          An All Searches folder that lists all predefined searches.

3          A Checkout List folder that displays all documents currently checked out to you.

 

 

System management

FileNet P8 provides a complete set of system administration tools that allow for monitoring, validation, and configuration changes from a central location with a dispersed deployment. These tools, described in the following sections, can be used to manage the entire system. 

FileNet P8 also integrates with systems management tools like Tivoli®, which allow for orchestration and management of system components and resources on an enterprise level. 

 

Dashboard

IBM FileNet Dashboard provides a central collection system for application-specific data (such as RPC counts and durations, application-specific events and metrics), environmental data (such as configuration information and version and fix pack levels), and operating system statistics (such as CPU load, memory utilization, and disk and network I/O). You can analyze the collected data using Dashboard components or export the data for analysis using industry-standard monitoring and reporting tools. 

 

System Monitor

IBM FileNet System Monitor automates the monitoring of the entire FileNet P8 environment including FileNet P8 software components, application servers, databases, log files, network communication and devices, and the full range of IBM storage repositories. In addition to monitoring the core FileNet P8 components, System Monitor can monitor homegrown applications and products acquired from other vendors such as Adobe®, Kofax, and Captaris RightFax.

 

 

Application development and deployment

FileNet P8 includes an extensive collection of development tools that span the content and process management capabilities outlined in this document. These include:

1. Graphical tools for defining and designing application components (such as processes, metadata definitions, searches, and templates).
2. Java APIs for programmatic access to content and process capabilities.
3. A .NET API for developing Content Engine applications.
4. Content Engine and Process Engine Web Service APIs for building Web-based applications that can execute on a variety of platforms and can use a variety of languages and toolkits to access most of the functionality available through the Content Engine and Process Engine Java APIs. 
5. Integrations with leading portal vendors for building Web-based applications.
6. User interface elements that can be reused in custom applications.
7. Code module capabilities where Java classes containing event action code are stored in the object store and as such are easily deployable.
8. Several tools to help you move content between environments, which aid in the deployment process.