I just had a long conversation with a guy at work regarding technology. I know, a geek talking about tech isn't a surprise. I've long maintained that the way we interact with computers is forced and non-intuitive. I like to say that while we live in a three dimensional world, computers force us to interact in a two dimensional way. I've had an idea percolating in my head for over a decade now regarding that. I actually bought 2 Nintendo PowerGloves to help me create a proof of concept. But our conversation really only touched that before going in a slightly different direction.
We talked about how people interact in a business world, and how the technology that is available (albeit sometimes in separate pieces) if utilized better, can have a drastic impact on productivity. We discussed how people use their individual desktops - not on their computer but their actual physical desktop. Often there are stacks of folders, papers, manuals etc. A large majority still use pen and paper to capture many of their ideas and then have to go through several steps to convert that into an electronic version.
For an example, I'm asked to design a new application. I'm given some quick details and that's it. Currently, I go to my desk, get out a pen and paper and start writing/drawing. I'll write out the data that needs to be captured and shown. I then draw out a user interface to interact with the data. I then have to take that drawing over and show the interested parties to get their approval. This often leads to changes to the drawing which can make a mess. This step sometimes has to get repeated a couple times before everyone is satisfied. I then create the database and then get down to the programming. And this would be for a relatively minor application. The larger and more complicated an application gets, the longer these steps would take and the more collaboration required to resolve everything.
Imagine if you will an alternative. I have an electronic desktop. Not on my computer - but an actual desktop surface. I can draw on it as I would on paper but it's 100% electronic. It would change the above scenario. I gather the notes, write out the data as above. But I do the drawing on this new desktop and then gather the parties to review the UI and I could make changes to it in real time - as natural as drawing on a piece of paper. Or potentially, share my "desktop" so we would all see/work on the same drawing.
Seems limited use as a programmer maybe. But look at other business aspects. Flowcharting, business meetings, all these types of things could be done in a much more natural way and as important - SHARED in a much more natural way.
Technology has advanced to a point where we can really change how we interact with our environment. There is no longer a need to be tied down to working in a 2 dimensional way. We can make a change, and definitely for the better. Imagine if we were all able to share a version of our desks, have an instant scan of a document/page that would be shared with anyone else. Forget the archaic NetMeeting etc. Sharing ideas in real time would improve productivity drastically. Forget having to travel around the world, or having projects being put on hold until someone travels to resolve an issue. Imagine being able to provide needed information and details hundreds of miles away. Discussing engineering changes, instead of taking weeks of work to determine what it would require and what the changes would affect - as well as the time to have that information passed around, it could take moments. Imagine physically using your hands to grab a component and moving it over and seeing in an instance how it would change the layout of everything - and sharing that view with all parties at the same time. No longer requiring emails to pass back and forth etc. Everyone sees the same thing, at the same time.
Technology has such phenomenal potential, if it would only be taken advantage of. There are companies that live on the cutting edge - a local company Smart Technologies development an innovative Smart Board that was a drastic change on how meeting can be conducted. Microsoft has a DigiDesk that comes close to what I envision - not that I can find very much information on it. And really, I'd be nervous about this type of product coming from Microsoft. But wow does it look cool.
More later...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
LiveLink - Workflow Training (223)
I was looking forward to this course and it didn’t disappoint me. The whole point of workflow is to automate a process and it does that very well. What is Workflow you ask? It’s an automated system that will push tasks/documents etc through a pre-defined process. It’s capable to sending emails and notifications and can also create a pre-defined folder structure (including files).
The key of course is that the process needs to be designed and planned out well. This was stressed but it was also acknowledged that it is often only ½ done, if at all. Depending on the individuals/departments involved, the design is often skipped so they can just jump right in and start setting up the workflow.
I’m of the school where I understand and believe in the benefits of designing and planning a process before attempting to implement it. But I also know that there are many people, departments and corporations that run with the credo of: “Never time to do it right. Always time to do it over”. I have the fortune to have a boss that understands and supports me so I have the opportunity to plan and then implement.
But to get back on track, while you can just jump in and start setting up your workflow, it’s usually best to at least get a rough outline of what you want the workflow to do. Once you have that done it’s remarkably easy to setup a workflow to go through. You have a section of objects or steps – Initiator, User/Group, Evaluation, Process, Item Handler, Sub Map, Form Task and Milestone. You basically drag the steps you need onto the painter screen and then drag them together to make the correct linking paths.
Initiator: A wild card step that recognizes the user that initiated the workflow – used to assign that particular step to the initiator.
User/Group: A step assigned to particular users or groups to perform a specified action.
Evaluation: A routing step based on a True/False condition – often fed from the previous step that requires an Initiator or User/Group input.
Process: A step to send an email, add comments or update workflow attributes automatically
Item Handler: A step to manage attachments (folders, documents) and attributes automatically.
Sub Map: This step will send the entire work package through to another workflow and then returns with relevant information.
Form Task: This step displays a specific form to task recipients – the entire work package will not necessarily be available at this step.
Milestone: This step acts as a marker for a pre-defined milestone – often used with an evaluation step to catch whether milestones are being met. It is the sole step that is evaluated AFTER the evaluation step.
Once you have the steps all setup, you can start customizing each one – determining its attributes etc.
It’s very important to remember to verify the workflow map – it has a menu option on the MAP menu – Verify Map Definition. This will help ensure that you’ve correctly setup all the links etc.
You can track all instances of a particular workflow by going to the main map and click Status – it will list all workflow instances using this map. Workflow maps can have versions but you are not able to change a version and then push that change to existing workflow instances. You are able to edit an existing instance though – if you suspend it you can then modify its map and then turn it back on. This has the limitations of course and it’s recommended to have the workflow working properly before initializing it.
Once a workflow instance is completed – options to delete or archive become available. Deleting will delete everything related to that instance. Each workflow has its own attachments directory and deleting the workflow will delete that directory but will not reach out and deleted directories/files elsewhere in the system. IE: You have an Item Handler step that creates some directories and it moves any files the users attached to those directories – deleting the Workflow will delete the original attachments directory but will not affect the directories/files that it moved.
You can export/import workflows as well. Exporting will let you save the workflow to a .MAP file. In order to import you have to create a new blank workflow and then select Import from its function menu. You can then select the file you need to import. You have the option to either Reset Performers or Maintain Performers. Reset performers will reset all performers except for initiators. You will then have to go to each relevant step and select the performer users/groups. Selection Maintain performers will keep all the settings as is – but this will only work if you import to the same instance of Live Link. The exact same users/groups must exist and separate instances, even with the same users, will not necessarily match.
The key of course is that the process needs to be designed and planned out well. This was stressed but it was also acknowledged that it is often only ½ done, if at all. Depending on the individuals/departments involved, the design is often skipped so they can just jump right in and start setting up the workflow.
I’m of the school where I understand and believe in the benefits of designing and planning a process before attempting to implement it. But I also know that there are many people, departments and corporations that run with the credo of: “Never time to do it right. Always time to do it over”. I have the fortune to have a boss that understands and supports me so I have the opportunity to plan and then implement.
But to get back on track, while you can just jump in and start setting up your workflow, it’s usually best to at least get a rough outline of what you want the workflow to do. Once you have that done it’s remarkably easy to setup a workflow to go through. You have a section of objects or steps – Initiator, User/Group, Evaluation, Process, Item Handler, Sub Map, Form Task and Milestone. You basically drag the steps you need onto the painter screen and then drag them together to make the correct linking paths.
Initiator: A wild card step that recognizes the user that initiated the workflow – used to assign that particular step to the initiator.
User/Group: A step assigned to particular users or groups to perform a specified action.
Evaluation: A routing step based on a True/False condition – often fed from the previous step that requires an Initiator or User/Group input.
Process: A step to send an email, add comments or update workflow attributes automatically
Item Handler: A step to manage attachments (folders, documents) and attributes automatically.
Sub Map: This step will send the entire work package through to another workflow and then returns with relevant information.
Form Task: This step displays a specific form to task recipients – the entire work package will not necessarily be available at this step.
Milestone: This step acts as a marker for a pre-defined milestone – often used with an evaluation step to catch whether milestones are being met. It is the sole step that is evaluated AFTER the evaluation step.
Once you have the steps all setup, you can start customizing each one – determining its attributes etc.
It’s very important to remember to verify the workflow map – it has a menu option on the MAP menu – Verify Map Definition. This will help ensure that you’ve correctly setup all the links etc.
You can track all instances of a particular workflow by going to the main map and click Status – it will list all workflow instances using this map. Workflow maps can have versions but you are not able to change a version and then push that change to existing workflow instances. You are able to edit an existing instance though – if you suspend it you can then modify its map and then turn it back on. This has the limitations of course and it’s recommended to have the workflow working properly before initializing it.
Once a workflow instance is completed – options to delete or archive become available. Deleting will delete everything related to that instance. Each workflow has its own attachments directory and deleting the workflow will delete that directory but will not reach out and deleted directories/files elsewhere in the system. IE: You have an Item Handler step that creates some directories and it moves any files the users attached to those directories – deleting the Workflow will delete the original attachments directory but will not affect the directories/files that it moved.
You can export/import workflows as well. Exporting will let you save the workflow to a .MAP file. In order to import you have to create a new blank workflow and then select Import from its function menu. You can then select the file you need to import. You have the option to either Reset Performers or Maintain Performers. Reset performers will reset all performers except for initiators. You will then have to go to each relevant step and select the performer users/groups. Selection Maintain performers will keep all the settings as is – but this will only work if you import to the same instance of Live Link. The exact same users/groups must exist and separate instances, even with the same users, will not necessarily match.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Livelink 1.01 Training Course
Well I'm back. After a very shaky start, it turned into a very successful trip. Made a couple good contacts and learned a lot about Open Texts LiveLink. I kept a lot of notes to help ensure I wouldn't forget and to help reinforce what I learned. They provided a great binder of information - screen shots and details on how to work with the software. I was extremely happy with the quality of training they provide and I am looking forward to continuing my training in 2009.
I'm going to outline some of the information I gathered so that it's knowledge that won't be lost. The difficult part will be organizing it into a clear and concise document that will make sense for a reader that has never been exposed to the tool. I'm going to outline some of the more interesting features and then flesh out the ones we focused on.
One of the things I liked most about Live Link is the ability of the users to customize a good portion of it as they wish. If allowed by the Admin, a user can really drastically change how they use the system. That ability to have a custom landing page is becoming an important consideration when designing systems.
Workspaces
There are 2 types of workspaces – personal and main. The main workspace is basically the same for all users and is setup/configured by the Admin. It usually starts at 1 folder level. The personal workspace can be configured by each user. They can control what is shown on the page, adding shortcuts etc to the various sections that they want. This allows the user to setup a landing page for themselves that will show them what they want to see each time. This customization can help users be more productive and decrease the amount of time spent searching for things.
Users can share their workspaces as well as give them unique nicknames. This will allow users to share certain items back and forth between themselves without being visible to other users. The user can also get a list of all reserved documents on their workspace.
The admin has the ability to view any user’s personal workspace as well.
Objects (documents, files, folders etc)
The way they treat all items as objects instead of distinct types is intriguing as well. While you can work with a Word Doc, an Excel Spreadsheet or a JPG, they're all the same at the base level - they're all objects and all have the same ability to be manipulated. There are a handful of super-objects that not only have different actions, but they can be used to help organize the other objects.
Each object has a "Function" menu (a small down arrow on their right side) that allows a user to interact with that object in different ways. Because regardless of their file type (.doc, .xls etc), they're all the same base object type so you manipulate them all the same way. You can view, edit, copy, move etc each of them in the same way.
The super objects are slightly different in that while they have the same base options, they have some additional ones. Because some of these "super objects" act as containers to hold other objects (nesting a folder within a folder within a folder is possible), they require some special abilities to help the user handle that.
The Admin can customize which items show up, the order they appear as well as which are available for which group of users.
Each object has the same type of properties as well. Version is a common property intrinsic with each object. There is a choice between normal version (1, 2, 3 ...) or you can enable major/minor versioning (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.0 ...). This feature comes automatically with almost every object in Livelink which allows for great auditing of not only every file, but folders, collections etc. It's a great feature.
Note: Minor versions are only visible to those that have write/edit access while Major versions are visible to any one with Read (see) access. For certain functions, minor versions need to be upgraded to Major before the action can work.
When adding a file to a location that already contains an object with that filename, one of two actions will happen. If the object is emailed or drag/dropped – it will be created as a new version. If you copy, move, manually add, then it will append a number to that new item. This automatic versioning only works if the files have the exact same file name – their title and descriptions can be entirely different.
Users have an ability to “reserve” a file – this lets them lock it from others editing that file. They can view it but not allowed to edit it. The user can then edit it in two ways. They must have the correct application installed in order to edit (Word, Excel etc) and they can either edit it online or download and edit locally. If they edit it online – the file will be automatically reserved and the application will pop up for them to edit. They will have to close the application and it will ask them to whether to save to LiveLink, save to their desktop or cancel changes. If they select LiveLink, it will upload the changes and then un-reserve the object. If they save it to their desktop it will un-reserve that file and the link between the 2 will be broken. Once it has been unreserved anyone can edit that file. If the user knows he needs to edit/save the file offline, it’s recommended that they first reserve the file, then download and edit accordingly. Then add that file when they’re done (it will update the version) and then un-reserve it. When reserving a file, you can set it to be open to anyone in a certain group.
There are several options in regards to getting an object into LiveLink. There’s the Add button (adds an object from the users desktop). Add Folder will create a folder and Add Item lets the user select the type of object to add. Another option, if allowed by the Admin, is a Drag And Drop. This lets the user literally drag items from their computer directly to a location in LiveLink. You also, again if activated by the Admin and turned on for that folder/object, can email files to a folder.
Each object will have a distinct and unique URL (shown on the WebDav tab in the objects Properties). There is a short and a long version and this URL does not change regardless of where that object may be moved. This allows a user to copy the URL and use it to give others direct access to that location (according to permissions of course) without having to provide instructions on how to find the item. And because it never changes nothing would have to be changed or updated if the files/object gets moved.
When creating shortcuts, favorites or working with collections, each object takes its behavior from the original. The permissions and the Function menu behave as if clicking the actual item and any changes affect that original. The shortcut item etc, are only links to the original.
Each folder has common actions like copy, move, delete, zip & download, zip & email and print. You can multi-select objects within that folder to perform those actions on.
Objects inherit their permissions and other attributes from their parent but can be customized if necessary.
Objects can also have Nicknames. Each object is assigned a unique number as a Nickname but this can be edited. Users can create a new unique and more readable nickname that they can then use to help search for that item. Each nickname has to be unique. Users can then pass the nicknames for someone to search for.
Deleting: Admin can get a list of all deleted items and can undelete them as needed. The Admin can also set a default hold for number of days to hold a deleted file before automatic clearing. A recycle bin module is capable of being setup as well to allow users to undelete their own files etc.
Categories
The use of categories is a method of forcing the user to provide certain extra information necessary for a given object. It’s suggested that the ability to create categories is limited to Admins only to ensure that the number and type stay manageable. Categories have several different field types that can be used and can be set with default values as well as set as a required field. If setting a category to a folder, every object in that folder will have that category set. If there are any fields set as required, a message will be displayed to the user reminding them that they must provide the information. If they navigate past that page – they will have a task automatically set to remind them that they have to go back and do this.
Categories have versions as well. Depending on access level, the versions of categories will be viewable. The use of versions allows you to change/update a category after it is already being used. If you do so, the folders/documents that are using that category will have the option to upgrade to the new change. In the case of Folders (or other containers), you will also have the option to force that upgrade through it’s children (document, nested folders etc) or to set it to only affect any new documents etc. At that point you can also set default values if the upgraded category has additional fields; These default values would then be applied for all children to eliminate the need of manually changing every document etc. The option to remove the upgraded category is also an option, both for folders and for individual documents.
Dragging and dropping into folders, the user will be prompted (and a task assigned) to fill in the appropriate information for any selected category but only if at least 1 field was set as required.
You can have multiple categories set for a folder and the files can select between them – OR if you set multiple required fields (across the different categories), the user(s) will have to fill out the information for each category.
Users and Groups and Permissions
Admin user is of course the typical “does everything” account and can set and control the entire system. The admin can decide which features the regular users can see or customize. Members can belong to multiple groups. Groups can be nested within each other. Each user has their own personal workspace that Admins are able to view. Users can also choose to share this workspace (NOTE: In this way a common workspace (or a folder within that workspace) can be shared among a few people without it being open to others).
Default Group – this is the main default created group – this acts as a default group for any created user that doesn’t have a group assigned to it. It also takes over as the group for any members of a group that gets deleted. Because of this, it should not be used for anything, left empty as a catch all group.
Groups have only 1 group leader that controls that group (NOTE: group leader of a parent group is not necessarily a member or leader of sub-groups). The best method to work with this is to create a group leaders group – place the leaders in this group and then set this Group as the Group Leader. This method allows multiple members to be group leaders and also is a quick way of guaranteeing that the leaders of parent groups are leaders of children.
Permissions only apply to that individual item. Parent folder permissions don’t necessarily reflect those of its children. And the owner/admin of a folder doesn’t necessarily have access to the sub folders/items. It is possible to modify permissions so that the original owner keeps controls of all sub-items. Add a user (or group) to the Assigned Access list which has complete access. Then remove the edit permissions option for all others including owner. Because all sub-items take their initial permissions from the parent – this guarantees that the user/group added to the Assigned Access will be the only ones with access to edit permissions.
Searching
Search is done on the textual content of most documents, other text items such as discussion topics and replies, news items and tasks. Meta data (additional system and custom attributes added to LiveLink items to define the information and facilitate searching) is also searched.
Several search options:
Search Livelink: The default search option.
Nickname Search: Search for documents for a unique nickname. Personal workspaces can have a nickname set as well. Default is a unique number but user can modify.
Ask LiveLink a Question: User can write a question and it will be parsed with Keywords being selected to run the search on.
Created by User/Group: Search for documents created by a particular group or user.
Sounds Like: Find documents that sounds like a word. IE: all docs that sound like Market
Search Targets:
From Here: From the current location down through all its descendants. Also has an “Expanded” option that allows for more advanced search options within the same target.
Help: All LiveLink online Help Files.
Enterprise: All information in the LiveLink Enterprise workspace as well as their personal workspace. Also has an “All Versions” that will search all “Slices”
User can also limit the search results using date criteria.
The search accepts wildcard characters as well:
& == And
| == Or
““ == Exact
* == Any character
&! == And Not
Slices: Admin can use a Directory Walker that will spider out and index databases or directories. Basically the Admin does a search and the results get indexed as a Slice and would then be available for users to use.
Once a search result has been returned the user has options for refining the search results according to things like Authors, Locations, and Dates etc. The result list behaves the same as if you’re at the documents location. You have access to their Function Menus as well as common features like Copy, Edit etc. You can also activate a “Highlight” that will highlight the search words in the documents.
The search query can also be saved to be run again or to be shared among others. Once saved it behaves like other documents but with the Open action actually running the search.
Projects
Projects can have sub-projects entirely separate from one another. Each sub-project can have different members, files etc completely separated from one another. It is possible to export from one project to another. The trick is to export a project as a template and then import that project. This is something only an Admin can do.
This will import everything in the project with a couple limitations. Any users or groups in the project must already exist in the target location or they will not be brought over. The project gets exported as an XML file that contains all the information in the project – including any and all files. The files will be encoded within the XML file. There will be limitations to this depending on the size of the files etc being exported.
I'm going to outline some of the information I gathered so that it's knowledge that won't be lost. The difficult part will be organizing it into a clear and concise document that will make sense for a reader that has never been exposed to the tool. I'm going to outline some of the more interesting features and then flesh out the ones we focused on.
One of the things I liked most about Live Link is the ability of the users to customize a good portion of it as they wish. If allowed by the Admin, a user can really drastically change how they use the system. That ability to have a custom landing page is becoming an important consideration when designing systems.
Workspaces
There are 2 types of workspaces – personal and main. The main workspace is basically the same for all users and is setup/configured by the Admin. It usually starts at 1 folder level. The personal workspace can be configured by each user. They can control what is shown on the page, adding shortcuts etc to the various sections that they want. This allows the user to setup a landing page for themselves that will show them what they want to see each time. This customization can help users be more productive and decrease the amount of time spent searching for things.
Users can share their workspaces as well as give them unique nicknames. This will allow users to share certain items back and forth between themselves without being visible to other users. The user can also get a list of all reserved documents on their workspace.
The admin has the ability to view any user’s personal workspace as well.
Objects (documents, files, folders etc)
The way they treat all items as objects instead of distinct types is intriguing as well. While you can work with a Word Doc, an Excel Spreadsheet or a JPG, they're all the same at the base level - they're all objects and all have the same ability to be manipulated. There are a handful of super-objects that not only have different actions, but they can be used to help organize the other objects.
Each object has a "Function" menu (a small down arrow on their right side) that allows a user to interact with that object in different ways. Because regardless of their file type (.doc, .xls etc), they're all the same base object type so you manipulate them all the same way. You can view, edit, copy, move etc each of them in the same way.
The super objects are slightly different in that while they have the same base options, they have some additional ones. Because some of these "super objects" act as containers to hold other objects (nesting a folder within a folder within a folder is possible), they require some special abilities to help the user handle that.
The Admin can customize which items show up, the order they appear as well as which are available for which group of users.
Each object has the same type of properties as well. Version is a common property intrinsic with each object. There is a choice between normal version (1, 2, 3 ...) or you can enable major/minor versioning (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.0 ...). This feature comes automatically with almost every object in Livelink which allows for great auditing of not only every file, but folders, collections etc. It's a great feature.
Note: Minor versions are only visible to those that have write/edit access while Major versions are visible to any one with Read (see) access. For certain functions, minor versions need to be upgraded to Major before the action can work.
When adding a file to a location that already contains an object with that filename, one of two actions will happen. If the object is emailed or drag/dropped – it will be created as a new version. If you copy, move, manually add, then it will append a number to that new item. This automatic versioning only works if the files have the exact same file name – their title and descriptions can be entirely different.
Users have an ability to “reserve” a file – this lets them lock it from others editing that file. They can view it but not allowed to edit it. The user can then edit it in two ways. They must have the correct application installed in order to edit (Word, Excel etc) and they can either edit it online or download and edit locally. If they edit it online – the file will be automatically reserved and the application will pop up for them to edit. They will have to close the application and it will ask them to whether to save to LiveLink, save to their desktop or cancel changes. If they select LiveLink, it will upload the changes and then un-reserve the object. If they save it to their desktop it will un-reserve that file and the link between the 2 will be broken. Once it has been unreserved anyone can edit that file. If the user knows he needs to edit/save the file offline, it’s recommended that they first reserve the file, then download and edit accordingly. Then add that file when they’re done (it will update the version) and then un-reserve it. When reserving a file, you can set it to be open to anyone in a certain group.
There are several options in regards to getting an object into LiveLink. There’s the Add button (adds an object from the users desktop). Add Folder will create a folder and Add Item lets the user select the type of object to add. Another option, if allowed by the Admin, is a Drag And Drop. This lets the user literally drag items from their computer directly to a location in LiveLink. You also, again if activated by the Admin and turned on for that folder/object, can email files to a folder.
Each object will have a distinct and unique URL (shown on the WebDav tab in the objects Properties). There is a short and a long version and this URL does not change regardless of where that object may be moved. This allows a user to copy the URL and use it to give others direct access to that location (according to permissions of course) without having to provide instructions on how to find the item. And because it never changes nothing would have to be changed or updated if the files/object gets moved.
When creating shortcuts, favorites or working with collections, each object takes its behavior from the original. The permissions and the Function menu behave as if clicking the actual item and any changes affect that original. The shortcut item etc, are only links to the original.
Each folder has common actions like copy, move, delete, zip & download, zip & email and print. You can multi-select objects within that folder to perform those actions on.
Objects inherit their permissions and other attributes from their parent but can be customized if necessary.
Objects can also have Nicknames. Each object is assigned a unique number as a Nickname but this can be edited. Users can create a new unique and more readable nickname that they can then use to help search for that item. Each nickname has to be unique. Users can then pass the nicknames for someone to search for.
Deleting: Admin can get a list of all deleted items and can undelete them as needed. The Admin can also set a default hold for number of days to hold a deleted file before automatic clearing. A recycle bin module is capable of being setup as well to allow users to undelete their own files etc.
Categories
The use of categories is a method of forcing the user to provide certain extra information necessary for a given object. It’s suggested that the ability to create categories is limited to Admins only to ensure that the number and type stay manageable. Categories have several different field types that can be used and can be set with default values as well as set as a required field. If setting a category to a folder, every object in that folder will have that category set. If there are any fields set as required, a message will be displayed to the user reminding them that they must provide the information. If they navigate past that page – they will have a task automatically set to remind them that they have to go back and do this.
Categories have versions as well. Depending on access level, the versions of categories will be viewable. The use of versions allows you to change/update a category after it is already being used. If you do so, the folders/documents that are using that category will have the option to upgrade to the new change. In the case of Folders (or other containers), you will also have the option to force that upgrade through it’s children (document, nested folders etc) or to set it to only affect any new documents etc. At that point you can also set default values if the upgraded category has additional fields; These default values would then be applied for all children to eliminate the need of manually changing every document etc. The option to remove the upgraded category is also an option, both for folders and for individual documents.
Dragging and dropping into folders, the user will be prompted (and a task assigned) to fill in the appropriate information for any selected category but only if at least 1 field was set as required.
You can have multiple categories set for a folder and the files can select between them – OR if you set multiple required fields (across the different categories), the user(s) will have to fill out the information for each category.
Users and Groups and Permissions
Admin user is of course the typical “does everything” account and can set and control the entire system. The admin can decide which features the regular users can see or customize. Members can belong to multiple groups. Groups can be nested within each other. Each user has their own personal workspace that Admins are able to view. Users can also choose to share this workspace (NOTE: In this way a common workspace (or a folder within that workspace) can be shared among a few people without it being open to others).
Default Group – this is the main default created group – this acts as a default group for any created user that doesn’t have a group assigned to it. It also takes over as the group for any members of a group that gets deleted. Because of this, it should not be used for anything, left empty as a catch all group.
Groups have only 1 group leader that controls that group (NOTE: group leader of a parent group is not necessarily a member or leader of sub-groups). The best method to work with this is to create a group leaders group – place the leaders in this group and then set this Group as the Group Leader. This method allows multiple members to be group leaders and also is a quick way of guaranteeing that the leaders of parent groups are leaders of children.
Permissions only apply to that individual item. Parent folder permissions don’t necessarily reflect those of its children. And the owner/admin of a folder doesn’t necessarily have access to the sub folders/items. It is possible to modify permissions so that the original owner keeps controls of all sub-items. Add a user (or group) to the Assigned Access list which has complete access. Then remove the edit permissions option for all others including owner. Because all sub-items take their initial permissions from the parent – this guarantees that the user/group added to the Assigned Access will be the only ones with access to edit permissions.
Searching
Search is done on the textual content of most documents, other text items such as discussion topics and replies, news items and tasks. Meta data (additional system and custom attributes added to LiveLink items to define the information and facilitate searching) is also searched.
Several search options:
Search Livelink: The default search option.
Nickname Search: Search for documents for a unique nickname. Personal workspaces can have a nickname set as well. Default is a unique number but user can modify.
Ask LiveLink a Question: User can write a question and it will be parsed with Keywords being selected to run the search on.
Created by User/Group: Search for documents created by a particular group or user.
Sounds Like: Find documents that sounds like a word. IE: all docs that sound like Market
Search Targets:
From Here: From the current location down through all its descendants. Also has an “Expanded” option that allows for more advanced search options within the same target.
Help: All LiveLink online Help Files.
Enterprise: All information in the LiveLink Enterprise workspace as well as their personal workspace. Also has an “All Versions” that will search all “Slices”
User can also limit the search results using date criteria.
The search accepts wildcard characters as well:
& == And
| == Or
““ == Exact
* == Any character
&! == And Not
Slices: Admin can use a Directory Walker that will spider out and index databases or directories. Basically the Admin does a search and the results get indexed as a Slice and would then be available for users to use.
Once a search result has been returned the user has options for refining the search results according to things like Authors, Locations, and Dates etc. The result list behaves the same as if you’re at the documents location. You have access to their Function Menus as well as common features like Copy, Edit etc. You can also activate a “Highlight” that will highlight the search words in the documents.
The search query can also be saved to be run again or to be shared among others. Once saved it behaves like other documents but with the Open action actually running the search.
Projects
Projects can have sub-projects entirely separate from one another. Each sub-project can have different members, files etc completely separated from one another. It is possible to export from one project to another. The trick is to export a project as a template and then import that project. This is something only an Admin can do.
This will import everything in the project with a couple limitations. Any users or groups in the project must already exist in the target location or they will not be brought over. The project gets exported as an XML file that contains all the information in the project – including any and all files. The files will be encoded within the XML file. There will be limitations to this depending on the size of the files etc being exported.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Visualization of Data
I've believed for a long time that the existing way of working with computers is archaic. The use of folders and nesting folders to store files was a good method in the beginning because of the limitations of technology. The display of these files/folders naturally came about as a graphical visualization of the exact same thing. Technology is leaping forward and is no longer so rigidly bound in it's display of information. Yet the majority of business still organizes it's information the same way and shows it in the same way. New technology is available to drastically improve the way information is handled in todays business world.
The Visualization of Data is a big topic in business right now. One of the hardest things, and often requires a large portion of training, is how to find information. Having all the information in the world doesn’t help you if you’re unable to find it. Common drawbacks to searching is the retrieval of too many results or too few. If you've ever done a general search on Google you know exactly what I mean. Usually this is a result of not concise enough search criteria but it can also be the poor organization of the data. That will be the subject of another post.
The first step is always the organization and gathering of information. Once that has been designed and accepted, the next most important step is the retrieval of that data. What fields to search on? What information to show? How will the user search? This step is often overlooked or downplayed in importance. The focus in business is often the entry of information more so than the retrieval of it. Slowly this is being turned around. The realization that a significant amount of time is wasted in the search for the relevant information is starting to take hold.
The concept of Data Visualization is starting to take a larger part in the stage of development, and with phenomenal results. Technology is at the point where information, once gathered, has a tremendous number of options in how it’s displayed. Depending on the requirements it can be displayed in many different ways. The first link below goes into greater detail and provides some of the same links I have. The method I am most in favor of is the use of a force-controlled graph. This is link 3.
Not only would this be a great search tool, requiring very little training, but it's also ideal in the visualization of the relationships between objects. It’s very intuitive and quite powerful, simply using the existing information and it’s OWN relationships, just displaying it in a different way.
Another interesting method is one being used by DIGG Labs (link 7). They arrange story links according to popularity, also modifying the size of the text. I've seen this in other places, used to highlight common tags with location and size determined by popularity (Flickr uses this in http://flickr.com/photos/tags/). This provides yet another method of visualizing data in a way that makes it easy and intuitive for users to find information. There's virtually little training required to start searching for you need.
By breaking out of the box entirely in regards to the display of information, the amount of time spent in finding information can be drastically reduced. By making the entire search process more natural, training can be reduced as well. Saving time equals saving money. Making it a little more fun never hurts either.
Links:
A description of new concepts:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/08/02/data-visualization-modern-approaches/
A graphical display of the links in websites (used before to map the chaos of links in an entire website)
http://www.aharef.info/2006/05/websites_as_graphs.htm
* A visual force-controlled graph built around XML data *
http://www.fahrio.com/interactive/musicmap/
A tutorial on building the above in Ajax
http://www.ajax-tutorials.com/tutorial-list/resource/force_directed_graph_from_xml/
A graphical visualization of text in different essays.
http://www.munterbund.de/visualisierung_textaehnlichkeiten/essay.html
A site discussing the Esthetics of Displaying Information
http://www.infosthetics.com/
Arranging links (and sizing them) according to popularity
http://labs.digg.com/bigspy/?popular
The Visualization of Data is a big topic in business right now. One of the hardest things, and often requires a large portion of training, is how to find information. Having all the information in the world doesn’t help you if you’re unable to find it. Common drawbacks to searching is the retrieval of too many results or too few. If you've ever done a general search on Google you know exactly what I mean. Usually this is a result of not concise enough search criteria but it can also be the poor organization of the data. That will be the subject of another post.
The first step is always the organization and gathering of information. Once that has been designed and accepted, the next most important step is the retrieval of that data. What fields to search on? What information to show? How will the user search? This step is often overlooked or downplayed in importance. The focus in business is often the entry of information more so than the retrieval of it. Slowly this is being turned around. The realization that a significant amount of time is wasted in the search for the relevant information is starting to take hold.
The concept of Data Visualization is starting to take a larger part in the stage of development, and with phenomenal results. Technology is at the point where information, once gathered, has a tremendous number of options in how it’s displayed. Depending on the requirements it can be displayed in many different ways. The first link below goes into greater detail and provides some of the same links I have. The method I am most in favor of is the use of a force-controlled graph. This is link 3.
Not only would this be a great search tool, requiring very little training, but it's also ideal in the visualization of the relationships between objects. It’s very intuitive and quite powerful, simply using the existing information and it’s OWN relationships, just displaying it in a different way.
Another interesting method is one being used by DIGG Labs (link 7). They arrange story links according to popularity, also modifying the size of the text. I've seen this in other places, used to highlight common tags with location and size determined by popularity (Flickr uses this in http://flickr.com/photos/tags/). This provides yet another method of visualizing data in a way that makes it easy and intuitive for users to find information. There's virtually little training required to start searching for you need.
By breaking out of the box entirely in regards to the display of information, the amount of time spent in finding information can be drastically reduced. By making the entire search process more natural, training can be reduced as well. Saving time equals saving money. Making it a little more fun never hurts either.
Links:
A description of new concepts:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/08/02/data-visualization-modern-approaches/
A graphical display of the links in websites (used before to map the chaos of links in an entire website)
http://www.aharef.info/2006/05/websites_as_graphs.htm
* A visual force-controlled graph built around XML data *
http://www.fahrio.com/interactive/musicmap/
A tutorial on building the above in Ajax
http://www.ajax-tutorials.com/tutorial-list/resource/force_directed_graph_from_xml/
A graphical visualization of text in different essays.
http://www.munterbund.de/visualisierung_textaehnlichkeiten/essay.html
A site discussing the Esthetics of Displaying Information
http://www.infosthetics.com/
Arranging links (and sizing them) according to popularity
http://labs.digg.com/bigspy/?popular
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Training soon
I'm going to be heading out to Waterloo this weekend for a 3 day training course. I'm looking forward to it. Not only for the chance to see a new part of Canada but also the technology I'm going to be learning.
I'm going for a LiveLink 1.01 intro training course which is just step one of about 7. I'm supposed to learn absolutely everything I can in regards to Live Link because I will be a major part of a team that has to ensure that it, SPF, SAP and various other tools will talk to one another seamlessly. We are hoping to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into the process as well. Thus this Blog.
I will be updating frequently with notes/thoughts on the training as well as hopefully much more in depth posts that restate the training I'll be taking.
I'm looking forward to the next year - it will be very busy with a lot of travel and a LOT of learning but I think it will be fun. I just wish it wasn't all during the winter LOL.
Stay tuned, it's gonna get crazy!
I'm going for a LiveLink 1.01 intro training course which is just step one of about 7. I'm supposed to learn absolutely everything I can in regards to Live Link because I will be a major part of a team that has to ensure that it, SPF, SAP and various other tools will talk to one another seamlessly. We are hoping to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into the process as well. Thus this Blog.
I will be updating frequently with notes/thoughts on the training as well as hopefully much more in depth posts that restate the training I'll be taking.
I'm looking forward to the next year - it will be very busy with a lot of travel and a LOT of learning but I think it will be fun. I just wish it wasn't all during the winter LOL.
Stay tuned, it's gonna get crazy!
RedDot Web 2.0 Seminar - My take
Web 2.0 Seminar - Red Dot - Open Text Web Solutions Group
November 26, 2008
Calgary, Alberta
Main presenter: Craig Hepburn
The presentation, while generally about the Web 2.0 Service offered by Red Dot (a division so to speak of Open Text), was focused on the use of new technologies in sharing of knowledge. They referred to this as Social Networking.
Craig spoke at length about the drawbacks to standard business practices of sharing knowledge and emphasized the benefits to utilizing newer technologies like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google Alerts, Bogs and RSS Feeds to name a few. He described how newer generations are viewing email as the written letter is often viewed now; as an obsolete method of communication. Studies have shown that communication can be improved quite drastically by using new technologies to share information with many people at a time. By providing central areas for the gathering of information and knowledge, people (colleagues, clients etc) can self-control the information they want. Technologies like Blogs, Google Alerts and RSS Feeds can engage the target audience in ways that are simply unavailable using old-school email.
By getting involved in these technologies, companies can take control of their brand in a community format. The majority of companies focus their attention on printed and digital media in regards to their brand. This covers the standard websites, newsletters etc. But the majority of companies are lagging behind technology by not taking advantage of Blogs, Facebook and MySpace.
Facebook and MySpace currently have a bad reputation in most corporations; with many not only banning access to the sites from the work network but also demanding that their staff not participate in those online communities, even on a personal basis. Well this can be understood from a business perspective; Craig outlined reasons why companies should embrace them instead. He outlined solid business cases for why utilizing these communities can help keep a companies brand solid in today's extremely dynamic digital world. As a tool to aid communication between colleagues or as a touch-point for the public to interact with a company, communities like Facebook and MySpace can be a great tool for today's corporations. Providing a familiar and cutting-edge interface to the public results in a more positive image and brand recognition, especially as a method for the public to interact or become engaged with a company.
Blogs excel as a quick dynamic method of communication that reaches those that have an interest without the worry of "spamming" anyone. People read them or don't read them as they choose. Because Blogs are dynamically driven, the information can be as up to date as necessary to suite the goals of the blog. They can also be great team communication tools as well. Instead of emailing or filing formal reports, teams can use blogs to share information back and forth. The information can be updated quicker and more conveniently than some standard methods. Craig highlighted several companies utilizing this concept to share knowledge (CIA was but one). Blogs can be a great way to keep in touch with a team but can also be used to get important news out to the public.
Craig stressed how important engaging users is in today's world. Instead of using regular email to communicate between, often, just 2 individuals, the use of blogs or other such technologies allow a conversation to reach many people with less effort. Blogs allow users to place their communication in one spot and it is the option of the interested parties to read. It engages those interested in the information being provided to keep current. This ensures that the information is available to those that need it without affecting those that are uninvolved. The use of "instant" messaging tools (such as MSN, Office Communicator, and SMS Text Messages etc) can exponentially reduce the amount of time that would be spent on emails. So much time every day is spent in writing, reading and responding to emails that a manager’s time can be severely affected. It is a technology readily available on the majority of mobile phones and PDA's and can drastically limit the bandwidth usage spent through traditional email. The use of these types of technologies drastically improve the level of communication and the sharing of knowledge corporate wide and can often be a used as a way to engage the public in ways that would have been impossible using traditional methods.
An example: Bob works at Company X and has a personal Blog. It is open to the public and since he notes he works for Company X, he is often asked questions etc regarding the use of Company X's product. Company X does a new roll out of the software product and he announces it on his blog with all the accompanying excitement. Immediately, several of his "followers" are posting questions asking about the product and requesting more information and he then forwards their interest to the sales department. The sales department gets several new sales without having to a) do any foot work or b) speak a large number of people.
Another example: Steve works for Company Z and his blog is a much more formal blog in regards to the internal use of a new communication tool the company is using. A colleague posts a question to Steve regarding said tool and Steve replies. Mean while, 3 other colleagues have the exact same problem and Steve's posted answer solves the issues for all 3 at the cost of a single post.
In the current methodologies, Example 1 is not likely to happen while Example 2 would be more likely limited to either emails or a slow-to-update FAQ. Other examples are using Blogs to do status reports or meeting notes - much quicker, can often be done anywhere in the world and can be setup to alert those interested as soon as there is new information. And using blogs and setting up Backups etc ensure that the information will be available whenever needed (good for legal needs of keeping records of communication etc). Emails are often limited to including 1 or 2 individuals at a time and that conversation is limited to those included - often resulting in the same conversation being held repeatedly. And often emails can or have to be deleted due to mailbox restrictions so that information can be lost for good.
His description of RSS feeds as a tool to spread new information to interested parties would address the difficulty of getting the right information to the right people. By setting up RSS feeds on important sites, new information gets out immediately to those that need that information. By requiring the individual to select to find out - they become engaged and a connection is voluntarily forged that is often very difficult in traditional ways.
The basic premise of his discussion was how much a company can enhance it's communication, whether internal or external, with the proper planned use of today's newer technologies.
The seminar then lightly touched how the Web 2.0 offered by Red Dot can help a company utilize these tools. I will be finding out exactly what is offered in Web 2.0 (whether an actual applications or a methodology of using new technologies). Will update as more information is gathered.
LINKS:
RedDot:
Website
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