This article contains a list of common questions you may have about the transition from a manual based document control system to an electronic DMS which is part of the eQMS.
Does Orcanos save the document ID of the manual system?
No. Orcanos generates a new unique identifier to each document. You can add a custom field to hold the old DMS system ID for reference.
Does Orcanos imports old revisions of the documents?
It is possible, but we recommend not to as well this will be manual work. We do recommend to preserve the old DMS system for future references. We import only the latest revision and not the history of each file, otherwise, each old revision of the file will be a specific controlled document, which we don’t want to. You can keep old revisions for history purposes outside of Orcanos.
If my Word document is signed – does Orcanos imports the Word or the PDF?
We recommend to import the latest Word version and sign it in Orcanos. The PDF can be added as an attachment for history tracking purposes.
If my document is in revision H – when I import file to Orcanos DMS, do you keep the revision and continue from there?
No. Orcanos, as a new e-DMS, starts each uploaded file with revision A. You can add a custom field to indicate the revision from the manual DMS as well the old ID.
Does Orcanos support numeric revisions?
No, Orcanos supports Alphabetic (A, B, C…) revision control. Every change within the revision recive a number for audit track.
How can I manage references that exist in my documents? I have references to other documents using the old system ID’s.
You would need to use document names as a reference, so some manual work is required. Orcanos cannot extract references from a text in the document.
You can use Orcanos traceability tool to manage references and links between documents from now on, which is also very useful for impact analysis purposes, so when one document changes – you can track the list of possibly affected documents.
Do I need to import files one by one?
No. You can just drag and drop a folder with subfolders and files, and Orcanos will create this structure in its DMS tree and will include the file on its first revision.
I have hundreds of documents, where the file name contains the old ID and the current revision. Shall I go and rename each one?
We recommend that you won’t. This is the process we recommend:
- Upload all released sources with the current name
- Sign them just for the sake of creating a baseline of all released documents, with the e-sign of Orcanos
- Now when you need to change a file, download it for change, rename, remove manual approval table (as Orcanos creates it automatically) and upload it again. From now on the file will be cleaned and controlled fully by Orcanos
Is there a limitation on the number of files in Orcanos DMS?
No
Does the system save the document to PDF upon approval?
Yes, Orcanos has a PDF publishing capability that saves Word/ Excel/ power point to PDF with a cover letter.
What type of files Orcanos does DMS support?
Any type of file, almost. In case run into a file that is not supported please contact our [email protected] for more assistance.
If I use CAD or any drawing made by another system – do I upload the drawing file?
We recommend uploading the PDF version of the CAD and sign it in Orcanos, every time a new revision is created in the 3rd party system.
You can upload the drawing source also for reference, or add a URL to the 3rd party system if it is web-based.
Can I delete an Item in Orcanos DMS?
Yes, as long as it is not signed. Once a file is signed – it cannot be deleted.
Does Orcanos DMS support a hierarchy of folders and documents?
Yes
Can I define a routing process for approving documents?
Yes. You can define a full flow:
- Who needs to sign
- Order of signers (one after the other or simultaneously)
- Signer role
- Is signer mandatory or not
- Alternate signer
- Named signer or anyone from a given group
Can I define an e-sign process on demand? means, I want to decide who needs to sign once I start the process.
Yes, this capability is supported. You can dynamicly can select the users who needs to sign the document.
What does Effective Date signify?
The approval date of the document – when last signer signs the document, the effective date is created.
Can I re-sign the same Signed Document with the same Revision No?
No. Each signature process advances the revision.
If I sign PDF file, does Orcanos adds a cover letter to the signed PDF?
Yes
Can more than one person work on the same document?
Several people can download the file and work on it. But only the last uploaded counts.
You can lock (checkout) a DMS item so others cannot work on the same file, and you can do a merge of several revisions of the file to make a final draft out side Orcanos system using tools like office.
From our experience, it is better to have a document controller position to manage this activity. Orcanos will be the place to manage the last revision to sign.
Can Orcanos DMS work in offline mode?
No. You must have an internet connection, as Orcanos is a cloud software.
Can we have access control on which documents to show to which users?
Yes, you can use Data content sharing and settings.
Can we do a text search on the document?
Not yet. This functionality is currently not supported but is planned for future release.
Does Orcanos supports meta-data for documents classifications?
Yes.
Can we block users from downloading obsolete files?
Yes, in the group permissions. In any case, obsolete PDF’s have an “OBSOLETE” watermark on each page.