How Worldox works

Worldox is an enterprise-capable document management system. Worldox features tight integration with the latest Windows operating systems, office productivity suites, email applications and Active Directory, and integrates equally well with a wide array of productivity programs and networking systems.

Overview

• Seamless integration with Outlook, Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Adobe products and most other popular desktop applications.

• A logical document repository (folder) structure, customized to fit specific business needs at your site. The Worldox set-up process includes the definition of one or more profile groups, used in profiling documents.

• Profiling - the process of classifying documents so Worldox knows where to store and find them. Profiling also enables audit trails (tracking document movements and access).

• Multiple levels of security, applied not only to documents and repositories, but also extending to users and user groups, to control who accesses Worldox features/files and how.

In use - as an experience - Worldox has some similarities with Windows Explorer or Microsoft Outlook. You can see that in the left-side navigation panel, and in the way right-side file listings display. In that sense, Worldox serves an Explorer-like purpose, organizing and presenting files for fast access.

There's more to document management than just access, so Worldox does far more than just enable access. Worldox worklist tabs, document tabs, pull-down menus and toolbars offer a variety of tools to help you move, copy and manage not only documents and other files, but email as well. At this point the Windows Explorer comparison weakens. Worldox actually integrates with supported email programs, while Explorer does not. Worldox also tracks file activity - something Explorer does not do.

Starting elsewhere ... ending up in Worldox

Another defining characteristic of Worldox is how application integration "feels". You don't have to be in Worldox to experience it. Assuming that Worldox is running on your machine, you could see one or more Worldox windows and dialogs "pop-up" in response to a variety of file actions, taken in any of a huge variety of other applications. Worldox dialogs can appear when:

Worldox monitors file activity on your desktop, and prompts you as needed to profile documents, email and other files. In this respect, it's different from the other software you use day-to-day. Worldox interjects itself into your workflow as needed to make sure documents are profiled.

Of course you can also work within the Worldox application itself. Depending on how it is set-up at your site, you may even be able to handle your email completely from within Worldox. You also have the ability to preview and view files inside Worldox without having the native (source) programs installed on your local machine or network.

Key concepts

The following concepts are central to an understanding of how to work with Worldox. Click topics below for brief descriptions and links to more information.

Note: Many other terms are listed here in the Glossary. Just click the Glossary choice at the top left of the Help window.

Document profiles are logical structures at the center of the Worldox file management system. A profile is a set of values identifying documents. Worldox uses this information to store and track files. Profiles consist of the following elements:

• Profile group choice (see Profile groups, further down this page)

• Profile fields (Client, Matter, et al.)

• Document description

• Document ID

• Creation date

• Date updated

• Owner's initials

• Security classification

• Comments, if any

Taken together, these elements do more than just identify documents; they enable powerful search tools - a primary means of locating files in Worldox.

Profile groups are “containers” for Worldox document profiles. Each document profile contains its own unique set of field values. The profile group selected determines which profile fields - and in what order - are used to create those document profiles. (See Profile fields, further down this page.)

Worldox allows for multiple profile groups, up to 99 total. For example, you could have one profile group for administrative forms, and another for documents associated with litigation or other specific practice areas.

Profile groups are often used to differentiate repositories (folders) in several Worldox sites. Each profile group represents a unique set of locations for storing files, and may have individual settings that differ from other profile groups. Different profile groups can be used for different types of documents or for different levels of user access.

Selecting the profile group is often a first step in document profiling and other Worldox actions - assuming multiple profile groups are in use at your site and that you have access to more than one.

Profile fields provide the attributes or properties used to characterize documents. Each profile group can include up to seven customer-defined profile fields.

Profile fields are used to describe documents in terms that help you to categorize them, then find them easily. For example, law firms typically identify documents by the client with which they are associated, and matters pertaining to that client. Thus, Client and Matter are common profile fields, and are usually linked together. Other typical fields include document type - say a letter, brief or pleading - plus the author and typist responsible for documents.

Profile field tables contain the valid codes/choices that can be used to fill profile fields. For example, if you have a Client profile field, the client profile field table would contain a list of client names and corresponding codes (client numbers) at your firm.

You have access to field tables anytime you profile documents (during saves, moves, copies and other operations), also when searching and navigating via Direct Access.

Mirroring refers to a method used to protect original documents.

Worldox copies documents down to your local drive when you open or save files, depending on the settings in effect at your site. These copies are separate from the originals, which remain in place in Worldox folders.

The Worldox audit trail is a history of significant events associated with each Worldox-managed file.

Assuming you have the rights to do audits, you can right-click on any worklist file and select Audit > File to view an audit report for that file. If you want a more general report encompassing the activity of many files, you can create an Audit Trail query; this action is taken by selecting Search on the Audit pull-down menu.

The Worldox related documents feature lets you manually link any number of files. You can relate any group of documents, regardless of whether they are assigned to the same client or matter, share the same author, or have any other profile identifiers in common. You can even link documents across more than one Worldox site, creating wide-ranging networks of interlinked document sets.

Relating documents adds flexibility to document management, allowing you to define direct relationships between documents that may otherwise have no obvious or intrinsic associations.

Projects are another way to relate files in Worldox. (See Projects below.) As are categories (new in GX3), an expanded, more useful evolution of the old Libraries feature.

Projects are groups of linked files and documents, saved and made available as a separate file in Worldox.

Files can be related in a simple way in Worldox. Creating a project is the next step. With projects, you both link files and create a project file. This project file can be opened, viewed and managed from the worklist as you would with any other listed file. Because a project is an actual file as well as a set of links, you can distribute projects via email, and even "publish" them to the shared My Workspaces zone in the Worldox navigation panel.

The WorkZone is a drop target icon on your Windows desktop. Just drag one or more files - Word documents, email messages, email attachments, voice messages, graphics files - and drop them onto the WorkZone target.

As the item is dropped, Worldox responds with the WorkZone profile form. You can assign item(s) to an existing Worldox profile group and profile accordingly. Or, you can assign item(s) to a pre-configured profile (quick profile) that has most or all fields already filled in.

Any file profiled with WorkZone becomes part of your document repository. That means it becomes fully searchable via Worldox's powerful search tools.

My Workspaces was introduced in GX2, then enhanced further in GX3. It's a personalized content zone visible atop the left-side navigation panel in Worldox. You can use My Workspaces as a way to keep important files visible, also as a way to create, manage and share projects.