Dart KnowledgeWorker™ System Administrators Guide V3.

Introduction

This document describes the activities that system administrators of KnowledgeWorker® would undertake in order to set-up, maintain and run the system.  This guide assumes that the system administrator is familiar with the KnowledgeWorker® installation guide.

What is KnowledgeWorker®

KnowledgeWorker® is a collaborative Knowledge and Content Management solution. Designed for rapid deployment over the Internet or a corporate Intranet/Extranet, KnowledgeWorker® gives organisations the ability to capture, analyse, apply and reuse information to make faster, smarter decisions from anywhere in the world – at any time – day or night.

KnowledgeWorker® provides a Central Library for the creation and storage of information in any file format, a Search Engine to find information, Project Collaboration to share information and Workflow Engine to automate business processes and move information intelligently around an organisation.  Access to information is via a web browser, thereby removing geographic and technology constraints. KnowledgeWorker® will allow you to:

• Improve customer service and quality
• Avoid duplication of effort
• Improve staff performance
• Handle help desk and enquiry calls
• Maintain ISO9000 compliance
• Automate business processes
• Achieve substantial cost saving
• Manage all documentation, including e-mails

KnowledgeWorker® has been built using Microsoft web-based technologies for e-business needs.  Using the latest Internet technologies, Ideagen has produced a robust, high performance solution that can be rapidly deployed in any vertical market to fit any business process.

Overview of Architecture

The individual software components that make up the KnowledgeWorker® application are as follows:

• Microsoft IIS Web Server
• KnowledgeWorker® ASP Code (Active Server Pages)
• Microsoft Component Services
• Microsoft Index Server
• Microsoft ADO (Active Data Objects)
• SQL Database (Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or Oracle 9i)
• KnowledgeWorker® Data Vaults.

The diagram below illustrates how the various components interact with each other to provide the KnowledgeWorker® application.

The KnowledgeWorker® components that make up the entire application as described above may be spread across three separate servers to enable massive scaling capability.  The three servers are described in the following sections, but it is strongly recommended that the servers be placed in the same domain.

Web Server

The web server processes requests from the clients and in turn makes requests on the database server and the file server.  The server functionality is based on processing requests and network communications, which is CPU intensive.

The following components are situated on the web server:

• Microsoft IIS Web Server
• KnowledgeWorker® ASP Code (Active Server Pages)
• Microsoft Component Services
• Microsoft Index Server
• Microsoft ADO (Active Data Objects)

The web server temporarily stores files as they are being processed to and from the file server therefore does not need a large amount of disk storage, but it must be sufficient for Microsoft Index Server to function against the vaults.  A recommended configuration would be as follows:

• Minimum 2 X Intel CPU at 2GHz
• 512MB – 1000MB of RAM
• 40GB Hard disk

It is recommended that the disks be configured as mirrored drives to enable the server to be recovered in the event of failure. 

The network connectivity should include a separate 100Mbyte network between the three servers for optimal performance.  The web server should only be a member server for the domain.

Due to the use of session tokens, it would not currently be possible to use multiple web servers for the same domain with a load-balancing device that supports sticky sessions functionality.  Multiple virtual web servers can utilise the same database and vaults provided the correct security is established.

Database Server

The database server holds the structure (not the content) of the media assets including all the Meta data for each file that is added to the library.  The database server should be tuned to support the database engine in accordance with the manufacturer’s published performance-tuning recommendations.

The following components are situated on the database server:

• SQL Database (Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or Oracle 9i RDBMS)

The KnowledgeWorker® application makes use of industry standard databases that support stored procedures and functions.  Only databases from Microsoft and Oracle are currently supported but this may be extended in the future.

By placing the database on a separate server, the machine can be finely tuned to suit the user community.  The database server does not need to share its memory with other applications and therefore most of the available memory can be dedicated to the database.

About 72MB is required for the operating system and a further 10MB is required for other tasks such as backup, however, all other available memory should be configured for use by the database engine.

It is recommended that the server have at least 1 GByte RAM and this should be scaled up as the user community grows in line with the software manufacturer’s advice for performance.

A recommended configuration would be as follows: -

• Minimum 2 X Intel CPU at 2GHz
• 1GB of RAM
• 100GB Hard disk

For Microsoft SQL Server 2000 it is worth considering a server that supports hyperthreading technology as this can save on the licensing cost for the database.

As the media assets / content are not actually stored in the database, the database size will be modest, but will be determined by the number of items added.  Due to the I/O requirements of the database, it is important that SCSI ultra-wide drives are utilized and multiple controllers are used. In addition, performance recommendations for the paging file, transaction files and data devices should be implemented.  Note: If RAID is used for the disks, please note the advice on RAID caching.  The database server should only be a member server to the domain.

File Server

The file server stores the actual media asset content and is therefore IO and disk intensive.

The following components are situated on the file server:

• KnowledgeWorker® Data Vaults

The file server holds the vaults, which are utilised to store the file items added and versioned by the user community.  This is calculated based on the average size of the files and the number of versions expected to be maintained.  It is recommended that fast disks and controllers be used to reduce the perceived delay to the users.  As processing requirements are relatively light, this could also have PDC/BDC responsibilities, if necessary.

A recommended configuration would be as follows:

• Intel CPU at 2GHz
• 500MB of RAM
• Hard disk as calculated.

The System Admin Page

All users have access to the Admin page using the Admin icon from the navigation bar.  Only users who have been granted privileges or are part of the system administration group will have access to the ‘System Administration’ functions. 

To display the System Administration functions, click on the white arrow .  Each of these administrative functions will be explained in the following chapters.

Managing Users and Groups

The management of users and groups is restricted.  The level of the restriction is determined by the individual deployment but is determined by the user’s membership to the ‘system’ group and the privileges that have been granted to the individual user.

KnowledgeWorker® when installed creates the ‘system’ group and the ‘system’ administrator user for the KnowledgeWorker® repository.  Initially the ‘system’ user is the only member of the ‘system’ group and has all available privileges.  The ‘system’ user is used to create groups, create users, create categories and attributes, and configure the privileges for other users.

NOTE:  Any member of the ‘system’ group, including the ‘system’ administrator user, can access ALL information and objects inside the repository.  Therefore, membership of the ‘system’ group should not be granted without careful consideration.  Typically, the ‘system’ login should not be used other than to set-up and maintain the system.

Managing Groups

Generally speaking, users work in teams or groups.  Teams, departments, and groups will often require similar permissions and access rights.  If permissions in repository had to be entered for each individual user for every object, the administrative overhead would be extremely onerous.  To overcome this KnowledgeWorker® provides mechanisms through the user group concept so that access permissions can be easily maintained.

Users can be placed in groups (for example Sales or Human Resources), and access permissions set for each group.  Each user has a Base group (their primary group) but may be invited as members of other groups (secondary groups). 

Creating a New Group

To create a new group, select the option “Add a New Group” from the ‘System Administration’ menu.

Complete the form as follows:

• Group Name - Enter the name of the group required (up to a maximum of 255 characters), for example “Sales”, “Finance Department” or “Management Accounts”.
• Description - Enter the description of the group to help identify the groups’ function or membership criteria.
• Action - Click on Add Group to add the group record or Cancel to abort the action.

Viewing Groups

To view the groups in the repository, select one of these mechanisms:

• Select Manage Users & Groups from the System Administration menu
• Select Search from the navigation bar and then click on Users & Groups from the title bar.

Click on the dropdown field and select Group.  Use the following field to restrict (or filter) by entering a selection string.  For example, entering “KW” will display all groups that start with the letters “KW”.  A blank or null entry will cause all the groups to be displayed in alphabetic order.

It is also possible to select ‘Base Group’.  When ‘Base Group’ is selected this will filter out any project-based groups and display only user-based groups.

Editing Groups

Select the group you wish to edit using the method described above and click on the link beside the selected group entry or the link associated with the group name.

Note - The absence of the Edit link or the link associated with the group name reveals that your user does not have the privilege to edit the group information or group membership.

From the Group Information page, it is possible to change the name of the group and the description by entering the new information into the appropriate field.  After changing the required field click on Update to save the changes or Cancel to ignore the changes.

There are two types of members for each group in repository, base members and invited members.  Any group can have only base members, only invited member or a combination of both base and invited members.  Examples of groups with only invited members are the project-based groups, where users come together to work on documents for the project.

A base member is a user for whom this group represents the user community with which they normally work and share documents.  A user becomes a base member of this group by having the group assigned through their user account details.

An invited member is a user for whom the invited group provides additional access beyond that provided by their base group membership.  There is no fundamental difference between an invited member and a base member. 

An invited member will automatically grant his base group visibility to documents created in the library and will have to assign permissions to grant access for his colleagues in the group(s) for which he is an invited member.  Alternatively, placing a document in a folder to which his colleagues in the group(s) in which he is an invited member will automatically be granted permissions to provide access.  This access is provided because the documents will inherit the permissions from the parent folder.

Note - groups are not solely used to control the permissions on documents. In workflows groups can represent roles or a set of users who are required to perform an action.  Group membership offers an easy mechanism to manage action performers that affects both new and existing workflows.

Adding users to a Group

To add (or invite) users to the group click on the icon.  The context menu will be displayed from which the option to Invite Members can be selected.

The following form will be displayed to enable the selection of users.

Click on the dropdown and select the criteria required to display the appropriate list of users that are to be added to the group.

Select the user (or users) to be added to the group by selecting the check box before each user’s name.  Click on the OK button to add the user(s).

The new user(s) will be displayed in the list of invited members.

Removing users from a Group

To remove invited members from a group, navigate to the relevant group information page and select the check box beside each name that is required to be removed.  Click on the icon and select Delete Selected Invited Members from the context menu.

The delete confirmation dialogue box will be displayed.

Click OK to delete the selected user(s) or Cancel to abort the action.

Deleting a Group

To delete an entire group, select the icon and select Delete Group.

The delete group confirmation dialogue box will display.

Click OK to delete the entire group or Cancel to abort the operation.

All base members must have been allocated a new base group before the group is selected for deletion or the following error message will be displayed.

Importance of selecting most restrictive group

Careful thought should be given to the base group to be allocated to each user.  You should allocate a group that provides the most restrictive access to documents that the user is going to create.  Documents that a user may want to generate which need to be accessible by users of other groups can be created and made available through membership of other groups.

For example, the User Information page below shows the HR Manager of a company as a member of the regional board group rather than the HR group, which would be specific to the HR department.

This means that items created by the HR Manager would only be automatically made available to users within the Regional Board Group.  Any documents that are to be made available to members of the HR group would be done by selecting the document, accessing the permissions page, and then adding the permissions to allow other individuals or groups to access the document.  Details of ‘Managing Objects and Permissions’ are detailed later in this document.

Managing Users

Each person that wishes to use or access the repository must be set up as a repository user.  Each user must have a username and a password that they enter at the KnowledgeWorker® login screen.  KnowledgeWorker® also stores other information about each user, which will be explained below.

Adding a New User

There are two entry points for creating users, both require the same information, and it is a personal choice which one you use.

Adding a User from the Search page

It is possible to add a new user from the search page providing that the current user has the privilege to Create Users.  Select Search from the navigation bar and then click on Users & Groups from the title bar.  If the user has the ‘Create Users’ privilege, then the icon is displayed, and the context menu has the option Add New User.

Adding a User from the Administration page

Click Admin from the navigation bar and the Administration page is displayed.  Expand the System Administration menu by clicking the button.

The System Administration menu is expanded to show the functionality available to the user.  For the ‘system’ user, all the administration options will be available.

If the current user has the Create User privilege, then the Add New User link will be displayed.  Click the Add New User link and the New User page is displayed.

Completing the User Information screen

For clarity, this manual shows the New User screen in two segments although it is displayed in as one form in the interface.  The initial fields on the form are shown in the screen below.

Where:

• Login Name - Enter the name that the user will be required to enter into the KnowledgeWorker® login screen. Ideally, for security purposes, the username should be more than eight characters long, and be sufficient to identify the specific user.
• Password - Enter the password to be used by the user. As you enter the password, the text entered will not be displayed (for security purposes) but will be represented as a series of ‘x’.  For added security, it is recommended that the password be at least eight characters long and comprise of both alpha and numeric characters.  Easily guessable words or phrases should be avoided.
• Confirm Password – To verify that you have entered the correct characters, enter the same password as entered in the ‘Password’ field above. If entered incorrectly, when the form is submitted, an error message will be displayed, and the password fields must be re-entered.
• First Name – Enter the user’s first name.
• Middle Name – Optionally enter the user’s middle name.
• Last Name – Enter the user’s last name (surname).
• Base Group – Select the user’s base (or primary) group name from the dropdown list. The Base group has a special function, as the selected group will comprise of the users who typically need to share the documents added by this user.  The Base group should always be the most restrictive group for the user, for example a company director may also be part of ‘Sales’ but his Base Group would be ‘Board’ rather than ‘Sales’ to prevent inadvertently giving members of ‘Sales’ access to confidential board documentation.
• Email – Optionally enter the user’s email address. This will be required if the user wishes to receive email notification for events of interest, such as updates of documents or new tasks.

The second part of the form is as follows:

• Privileges – This section comprises of a series of check boxes to select the privileges that will be granted to the user.
  • Login Enabled – This will enable the user to login to the system. This field can be un‑checked at any time by the administrator to bar the user from logging into the repository.
  • User & Group Administration – This will allow the user to administer users (invite or delete) in the base group to which he/she belongs. When this user creates additional users, they can only grant access and permissions within their own base group.  Members of the ’system’ group will be permitted to administer any groups when granted this privilege.
  • Create Users – This will allow the user to create new users within their own base group. The system page and the context menu on the Search Users & Groups page will only be available when this privilege has been granted.  Members of the ’system’ group will be permitted to create users in any group when granted this privilege.
  • Create Groups – This option is greyed out; only the ‘system’ user or base members of the ‘system’ group can create groups.
  • Create Project – This will allow the user to create projects.
  • Manage Categories & Attributes – This will allow the user to create new categories and maintain existing ones. If this option is not checked, the option to maintain categories will not appear on the user’s Admin page.
  • Manage User Category – This will allow the user to manage the data held in the user category associated with user accounts. Typically, the user category information includes a number of attributes and users do not maintain this information themselves, just a restricted set of the user community.
  • Manage Privileges – This will allow the user to control the privileges that are assigned to other user accounts.
• Notifications – This drop-down window currently has two options available, ‘Off’ or ‘E-Mail’. The default option is ‘Off’.  To enable email notifications for this user set the option to ‘E-Mail’.  More options will be available in the future, including SMS.
• Notify User On – This section comprises of a series of check boxes that control which events the user will receive email notification on. These options are only active if ‘Notifications’ above is set to ‘E‑Mail’.  Please note that email notifications cannot be sent if the users email address is undefined. The notification engine runs periodically, therefore some delay is to be expected between the event arriving in the user’s home page and the receipt of an email notification.
  • Workflow Tasks – The user will receive an email notification of new tasks in their Task In-Box on their home page. Tasks can originate from projects or workflow steps.
  • Workflow Comments – The user will receive an email notification for workflow comments that have been entered to a workflow for which this user is a participant. The comments appear on the user’s home page.
  • Discussion Topics – The user will receive an email notification if another user enters or answers an item in a threaded discussions area for a project in which this user is a coordinator, member, or guest. The discussion items appear in the user’s home page.
  • News - The user will receive an email notification if another user publishes an item of news for a project in which this user is a coordinator, member, or guest. The news item appears in the user’s home page.
• Category – The category permits the extension of user data held for a given user to accommodate local requirements, such as Department, Telephone Number or Manager. Only categories defined with the scope of ‘User’ will appear in the drop-down window of this field.  The default is ‘None’.  Only one user category can be set per user.  Upon selection of a category, the screen will be redrawn to display the attribute fields from the category to allow them to be populated.  These attribute fields can be purely informational or can be utilised in workflows, for example to automatically direct a step in a workflow to the participant’s manager.  Access to information held in the user category is restricted to privileged users.
• Notes – This field can be used to store any additional free format information.

When the form has been completed click on Add User to create the new user.

Unique user names

KnowledgeWorker® has a strong permission model, every object within the repository has permissions that can be allocated to individual users, and some have the ability to have permissions allocated to specified groups of users.  Unique usernames are required for the model to work.

If there is an inadvertent attempt to create a new user with a name that is already being used the following error message is displayed.

Click on the Go Back button to return to the new user entry screen and amend the user login name accordingly.

Changing a user's password

Select Search from the main navigation bar and then select Users & Groups from the title bar.  Run a search for the desired user.  Select the Edit link located to the right of the user’s name.  The ‘User Information’ page is displayed.  Note - The link will only appear if you have permissions or privileges to edit the user’s details.

Check the Change Password checkbox.  Enter the new password into the Password field and then re-type the password into the Confirm Password field.  Then click the Update button to confirm the changes.

Note - Individual users may change their own password by using Admin on the navigation bar to access the option Update My Personal Details, which allows the user to change their password by providing their old and new passwords.

Searching for users and groups

KnowledgeWorker® offers five different types of searches; these searches include a Users & Groups search.  The search area is accessed by clicking Search in the navigation bar.  The following screen is displayed:

Now click on Users & Groups from the title bar to display the Users & Groups Search page.

There are options that are available in a drop-down list by which you can search for users using different criteria.

By leaving the input field blank and just clicking on Find, a complete list of the users will be displayed.  This technique can be used wherever a user list is required in KnowledgeWorker® and will save you time and effort.

The search results, for users with the relevant permissions, provide an option to edit the details of the users.  To edit user's details, click on the Edit link.  This will display the details for the user.

The first part of the form shows the user’s name, base group and offers the opportunity to change the user’s password.

The later section details the user’s privileges, whether they will be receiving notifications by e-mail for Tasks, Workflow Comments, Discussions and News.  Note – the user privileges are only available to the ‘system’ user login or a user in the ‘system’ basegroup who has been granted the privilege ‘Manage Privileges’.

Categories and Attributes

Categories have a number of different uses within the repository.  Their use is defined by setting their scope, which is described later in this section.  A category contains attributes. Basically, a category is a user definable database table, and an attribute is simply a column within the table.  A category may have one or more attributes depending upon the data requirements for its scope of use.

These user-defined database tables (categories) can then be used to define any amount of additional data (or Meta-data) that needs to be associated with workflow forms or content in the repository. 

Categories can also be used to access information in external databases and applications for inclusion in KnowledgeWorker® business processes (workflows) or content cataloguing. 

Managing Category Information

To list the current categories in the repository, click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.  Click the button to expand the System Administration menu.

Providing the user has the privilege to ‘Manage Categories & Attributes’ then the link ‘List Categories’ will be displayed. 

Click the List Categories link and the categories page is displayed. 

The repository initially has a number of system categories provided for the Media Library.

The icon provides access to a context menu that allows the category list to be filtered to make it easier to manage the many categories that a repository may have.

The option List Active is the default view when the category list is entered.  The options List Active and List Inactive provide similar displays but for categories that have different states.

The option List By Scope provides the mechanism to filter the categories based on the scope to which they have been defined.  The category list page is redrawn with a drop down from which the scope can be selected.

Creating a category

To create a new category first navigate to the category list by clicking on the List Categories link from the System Administration menu to display the categories page. 

Click the icon and select Add Category from the context menu to display the New Category page.

The new category page may appear with fewer scope options if you are not a ‘system’ group user who has been granted privilege to ‘Manage Categories & Attributes’.  You can still manage existing categories, but the ‘system’ group controls the creation of categories with other scopes.

Enter a title for the category into the Category Name field.

From the Scope field, select the appropriate checkboxes for the desired scope:

• Files – Select this checkbox if the category is to be applied to files or items located in the Library or Project areas (to allow Meta-data to be associated with any file)
• Workflows – Select this checkbox if the category is to be used in workflows or task templates for generating forms (for use in the Workflow Designer)
• Media – Select this checkbox if the category is to be associated with files located in the Media Library (to allow Meta-data to be associated with any media file
• System – Select this checkbox to make the category a system category (used by application developers only)
• Data Only – Select this checkbox if the category is to be used for storing data, for example a list of project codes or an asset register (for creating databases within KnowledgeWorker®)
• Media Entities – Select this checkbox if the category is to be used to represent a client, supplier, or other contact entity (used for the Media Library)
• User Only – Select this checkbox if the category is to be used for storing additional data against KnowledgeWorker® user profiles (for example to store personnel details like employee number or manager)

Enter some text into the Description field, this field is optional, but it is highly recommended that you add some text to help determine the usage of the category in future.  Any text entered into this box will only be visible from the information displayed on the categories page.

Click the Add Category button to complete the generation of the category.  The Categories (Active) page is re-displayed, listing all active categories including the category you have just created.

To make changes to a category when it has been created then either click on the link associated with the category name, or the Edit link located to the right of the category name.

The Category Information page is displayed and any attributes that have been defined are listed.

Theicon provides access to a context menu that allows the attributes to be filtered.  This makes it easier to see the attributes that are active and disabled for the category.

The option List Active Attributes is the default view when the category information is displayed.  The options List Active Attributes and List Inactive Attributes provide similar displays but for attributes that have different states in the category.

Note - the Inactive / disabled attributes are not presented for use on the category forms or in the workflow designer and are not visible to the user of the forms built using the category.

Creating an attribute

To create an attribute, you must first navigate to the category list. 

On the Categories page, click the Edit link located next to the relevant category.  The Category Information page is displayed.

Click the icon and select Add New Attribute from the context menu.

The New Attribute page has the following fields:

Category Name – This displays the name of the category you are currently editing.

Attribute Name – KnowledgeWorker® requires that you enter a name for the attribute.  This name is used as the column name in the database, and therefore should not have any spaces or reserved words for the database.  Once the attribute has been created this name cannot be changed so it is important that you choose the name carefully.
Note – You may use the underscore ( _ ) character to split words, if required.

Display Name – The name entered into this field, is the name that will be visible to the user on the workflow or category form.  This name can be changed at any time, even after the attribute has been created. This field should be descriptive enough to enable the user to provide the appropriate information.

Input Type – Select the input type for the field.  This determines how the form will display the field.  Listed below are the input types available:

• Entry Field – This is an entry field and can be configured to accept certain Data Types (See Data Type). An example may look like this:

• Multi-line Text Box – This is a free format text entry box which allows multiple line entry. This field would typically be used for fields such as ‘Notes’ or ‘Address’.  An example may look like this:

• Checkboxes – These are used if the user is to select more than one item. The input type used for checkboxes must be capable of holding multiple selections.  An example may look like this:

• Option Button (Radio Button) – This field type is used where the user may select only one option from the group by clicking on the button or the description field. An example may look like this:

• Drop Down – These allow you to create drop down menus, an example may look like this:

Please note that the number of elements that can be held in the ‘Format Values’ field restricts the number of items that can be displayed in a drop down.  Where the list is likely to be large or grow in the future then it is best practice to hold the entries in another category (data category) and use a category lookup or use an external table lookup.

• Multiple Select Lists – This is a drop-down field, which allows multiple items to be selected instead of just one as in a traditional dropdown field. An example may look like this:

Please note that the number of elements that can be held in the ‘Format Values’ field restricts the number of items that can be displayed in a multiple select list.  Where the list is like to be large or grow in the future then it is best practice to hold the entries in another category (data category) and use a category lookup or use an external table lookup.

• Date Lists – This type of field allows entry of a date. In early builds this was a series of dropdown fields, but this has recently been changed to a calendar picker.  An example may look like this:

Clicking the calendar icon will cause the calendar to be displayed.

Please note that where KnowledgeWorker® still uses the date list drop downs it is important that the datelist validation is applied to prevent the selection of invalid dates.  The date list validation is not required in the calendar presentation as the user can only select valid dates.

• Date Time Lists– This field allows entry of a date and time. In early builds this was presented as a series of drop-downs, but this has recently been changed to a calendar picker.  An example may look like this:

• Time Lists – This field allows entry of time in hours and minutes. In early builds this was presented as a series drop-downs, but this has recently been changed to a calendar picker where the date component is ignored.
• Category Field Look-up (Multiple Check Boxes) – This field type allows multiple check box selections to be populated with the contents of another category. Typically, the category will have been defined (scope) as ‘Data Only’.  The appearance on the form is identical to a traditional check box list field.
• Category Field Look-up (Dropdown) – This field type allows a drop-down window to be populated with the contents of another category. Typically, the category will have been defined (scope) as ‘Data Only’.  The appearance on the form is identical to a traditional dropdown field.
• Category Field Lookup (Multiple Select List) - This field type allows a drop-down window to be populated with the contents of another category. Typically, the category will have been defined (scope) as ‘Data Only’.  The appearance on the form is identical to a traditional multiple select field.
• Category Multi Select List with Other Entries - This field type allows a drop-down window to be populated with the contents of another category. Typically, the category will have been defined (scope) as ‘Data Only’.  This is a drop-down field that allows multiple items to be selected instead of just one as in a traditional dropdown field.  In addition, this field type automatically includes an element called ‘Others’ in the list.  If the user selects ‘Others’, a multiple entry box is displayed to allow the user to enter additional items not contained within the original list.  An example may look as follows:

• External Table Look-up (Multiple Check Boxes) - This field type allows multiple check boxes to be populated with the data contents from a table in an external database. The database must be accessible using a DSN entry.  The appearance on the form is identical to a traditional check box list.
• External Table Look-up (Dropdown) - This field type allows a drop-down window to be populated with the data contents from a table in an external database. The database must be accessible using a DSN entry.  The appearance on the form is identical to a traditional dropdown field.
• External Table Lookup (Multiple Select List) - This field type allows a drop-down window to be populated with the data contents from a table in an external database. The database must be accessible using a DSN entry.  This is a drop-down field that allows multiple items to be selected instead of just one as in a traditional dropdown field.  The appearance on a form is identical to a ‘Multiple Select List’.
• User List – This field type is used to select KnowledgeWorker® users from the main security file. This allows a username to be associated with a form or record.  The list is presented as a drop-down window. An example may look like this:

• User Multi Select List – This field type is used to select KnowledgeWorker® users from the main security file. This allows several usernames to be associated with a form or record.  The appearance on a form is identical to a ‘Multiple Select List’.
• Users and Group List – This field type is used to select KnowledgeWorker® users and groups from the main security file. This allows a username or group to be associated with a form or record.  The list is presented as a drop-down window.
• Users and Groups Multi Select List – This field type is used to select KnowledgeWorker® users and groups from the main security file. This allows several usernames and groups to be associated with a form or record.  The appearance on a form is identical to a ‘Multiple Select List’.
• Topic Groups Multi Select List – This field type is used to select KnowledgeWorker® Topic groups from the main security file. This allows several topic groups to be associated with a form or record.  The appearance on a form is identical to a ‘Multiple Select List’.
• Sub-category List – This field type is used to list the contents of a data sub-category into a dropdown box. It is mainly used for custom workflow forms where a one-to-many data relationship exists.  The appearance on a form is the same as a traditional dropdown window.
• Sub Category Reference - This field type is used to reference the contents of a data sub-category. It is only used for custom workflow forms where a one-to-many data relationship exists.  This attribute type does not display on the form and ideally the category identifier should be supplied in the ‘Default Value’ field.
• Library Item Reference – This field allows a user to browse the KnowledgeWorker® library and select a document reference (or link) to be stored on the form. An example may look like this on the form:

When the user selects the Browse button, a secondary browser window is opened.  This browser window starts at the top of the Library but the user is free to navigate the structure using the folder titles to the relevant location and then press the Select link.

• Node Table Folder List – This field type is used to populate a drop-down list where the list comprises of node items in a folder. This can be displayed in the form as follows:

For example, there could be a folder in the library called Brands that in turn contains a folder for each of the brands in your company.  By selecting this field type and providing the node identity for the Brands folder in the ‘Format Value’ this defines the folder of interest.  KnowledgeWorker® will then populate the drop down with the names of each of the items in the folder (in this case, the brand names).  For example, in our example the Brands folder contains the following that can be seen in the example below.

• Thumbnail Reference - This field allows a user to browse the KnowledgeWorker® Thumbnail library and select a thumbnail reference (or link) to be stored on the form. The Thumbnail Library is only utilised when the user has elected to install the third-party software for thumbnail images.  The software takes each jpeg (JPG) file added to KnowledgeWorker® and makes a thumbnail of the image.  This image is then presented when the file is listed in search results.  Thumbnails can also be associated with other files.

An example may look like this on the form:

When the user selects the Browse button, a secondary browser window is opened and provides access to the unstructured Thumbnail Library.  An example may look like this:

• Unique Id – This is available for ‘Data Only’ categories. The system generates a unique identifier within the category for each record that is entered.  This attribute type does not display on the entry form but is visible when the entries in the data category are displayed as the result of a search. In the example below, the ‘Asset Number’ attribute has been defined as a ‘Unique Id’. Although it does not display on the input form, it is displayed on the search screen.

Data Type – This field requires that you select the type of data that will be entered into the field.  The types available relate to the SQL database that is being used and the list below shows those for a Microsoft SQL Server.  This field also reflects how the information entered into this field will be stored into the database.

In the case of the VarChar fields, the larger fields (1024, 512 and 256) should be used where large amounts of information are to be stored.  Avoid using the large VarChar fields to store single words or numbers.  In addition, it is wise to limit the number of large VarChar fields used in a category.

Where larger fields are required to store vast amounts of text, which is normally in a workflow, then it is recommended to place the text in a document and add this as an attachment.

The table below shows the recommended Data Type to be used with each Input Type. 

 

Data Type	Compatible Input Types
Date Time	Date List Date Time List Time List
Decimal	Entry Field
Float	Entry Field
Int	Entry Field Dropdown Option Button Category Field Lookup (Dropdown) External Table Lookup (Dropdown)
Numeric	Entry Field Option Button Category Field Lookup (Dropdown) External Table Lookup (Dropdown) Node Table Folder List Thumbnail Reference Sub Category List User List
Real	Entry Field
VarChar(1024)	Multi Line Text Box Multiple Select List Category Field Lookup (Multiple Select List) External Table Lookup (Multiple Select List) Category Multi Select List With Other Entries
VarChar(128)	Entry Field Check Boxes Multi Line Text Box Multiple Select List Category Field Lookup (Multiple Select List) External Table Lookup (Multiple Select List) Category Multi Select List with Other Entries
VarChar(256)	Check Boxes Multi Line Text Box Multiple Select List Category Field Lookup (Multiple Select List) External Table Lookup (Multiple Select List) Category Multi Select List with Other Entries
VarChar(512)	Multi Line Text Box Multiple Select List Category Field Lookup (Multiple Select List) External Table Lookup (Multiple Select List) Category Multi Select List with Other Entries
VarChar(64)	Dropdown Entry Field Option Button Check Boxes Library Item Reference Category Field Lookup (Dropdown) Category Field Lookup (Multiple Check Boxes) External Table Lookup (Dropdown) External Table Lookup (Multiple Check Boxes) Node Table Folder List Thumbnail Reference Sub Category List User List Sub-category Reference

Format Notation / Format Values – This field indicates how to fill in the Format Values field for the selected Input Type.  The format notation instructions will change depending on the Input Type selected.  In the example provided below the format notation is providing instructions for a category lookup.

The Format Values field is an input field that is to be completed based on the instructions in the Format Notation field.  In this example, the user must complete the details for the <display field name>, <value field name>, <where clause> and <order on field name> based on the attribute names from the named category.

The where clause, [is_parent] and [is_child] elements can be used to build a relationship between attributes in a form so that the selection of an attribute value can cause those displayed in a subsequent attribute to be changed.  This will force a reload of the screen, so it is advisable to limit the number used in a single form to reduce user frustration.

The elements [is_parent] and [is_child] are Boolean values.  An attribute can be a parent and a child, if a multi-tier relationship is built.

The where clause can include the attribute name of previous attribute in the form providing that the previous attribute has [is_parent] defined as true (1).  An example of a format value including such a where cause is:

Other examples of Format Notation and Format Values fields are:

• Dropdown / Option Button / Check Boxes – The images below demonstrate the methods for populating the ‘Format Values’ for these input types. Note that the second image omits the value field, so the value is assumed to match the display and will require a VarChar to hold the selection.

In the example above the values 0, 1, 2 or 3 would be stored.

In the example above the values ‘Complaint’, ‘Question, ‘Service Request’ or ‘Incident Report’ would be stored.

• External Table Lookup – For external tables, the format notation includes the <dsn> and the source <table name> for the information. The remaining fields are consistent with the category lookup.

There is no <dsn> supplied in this example as the database table is within the KnowledgeWorker® database but a DSN would be of the form ‘driver={SQL Server};server=(local);database=devdb;user id=dev;password=xxx;dsn=’. 

The string “user_lastname+’  ‘+user_firstname” demonstrates how two database fields can be concatenated together to make a display field provided that the <value field name> is unique.  The <order on field name> can have one or more fields provided these are separated by a semi-colon.

• Node Table Folder List – This image show the node identifier in the ‘Format Values’.

Default Values – Enter into this field the default values for the field.  For example, if you select the Input Type as an Entry Field, then enter into the Default Values field the text ‘Enter some text here’, when you view the category, the text ‘Enter some text here’ will appear in the ‘Entry Field’ field by default.

The Default Values field for an Input Type of Option Button or Dropdown must be set to the value field and not the display field.  For example, where the ‘Format Values’ field looks like this:

The Default Values field would then be as follows to make ‘yes’ the default.

Validations – This dropdown window contains some standard validation routines that can be used to validate user entry into ‘Entry Field’ input type. The list available is displayed below: -

• Email – Checks that the data entered is consistent with a valid email address. It must contain an ‘@’ (ampersand) character and at least one dot after the ‘@’ sign.
• Name – Checks that a valid name format is entered e.g., no numerals.
• Number – Checks that the user input is a number.
• Phone – Checks that the input is a valid telephone number format; can contain numbers, spaces, brackets and plus and minus signs.
• Date Lists – Checks that a valid date is selected. Used mainly to support date list functions in previous versions.
• Integer – Checks that the number input is an integer.
• VarChar Size – Checks that the number of characters entered does not exceed the size of VarChar selected.
• Mandatory – This field, when checked, is used to ensure that the user provides data entry for this field when it is in a form. 

Please note that this field should be left unchecked for all attributes in a workflow as conflicts can arise due to the ability to hide fields from users in the workflow tasks.  The flow designer has a separate mechanism to make fields mandatory at the task level.

• Description -This provides the ability to associate descriptive text with the attribute.

Click the Add Attribute button.  The Category Information page is displayed, and the new attribute is added to the category.

Deleting / Disabling Attributes

Attributes can be deleted or disabled.  Only attributes that have no data can be deleted. If an attribute has data in its column, then it must be disabled rather than deleted.

Both delete and disable attributes are provided from the  icon context menu on the attribute information page.

To access the attribute information, first list the current categories in the KnowledgeWorker® repository:

• Click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed. 
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.
• Providing the user has the privilege to Manage Categories & Attributes, then the link List Categories will be displayed.
• Click the List Categories link and the Categories page is displayed.

• Click on the link associated with the category name or the link located to the right of the category name.  The Category Information page is displayed and attributes that have been defined are listed.

• Click on the link associated with the attribute name or the link located to the right of the attribute name.  The Attribute Information page is displayed.

Deleting an attribute

To delete an attribute from the   icon context menu on the Attribute Information page, select Delete Attribute.

A confirmation dialogue will appear.

Select OK from the confirmation dialogue to proceed with deleting the attribute.  If the attribute has data associated with it then the following warning message will be issued, and the attribute will be disabled rather than deleted.

Disabling an Attribute

To disable an attribute, from the icon context menu on the attribute information page, select Disable Attribute.

The disabled attribute(s) can then be viewed from the icon of the of the Category Information page. 

Select List Inactive Attributes to display the disabled attribute(s).

Click on the link associated with the attribute name, or the Edit link located to the right of the attribute name.  The Attribute Information page is displayed, and the  icon context menu can be used to enable or delete the attribute.

Deleting / Disabling Categories

Categories can be deleted or disabled.  Only categories that have no records can be deleted. If a category has records, then it must be disabled rather than deleted.

Both delete and disable category are provided from the  icon context menu on the category information page.

To list the current categories in the KnowledgeWorker® repository, click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.  Click the button to expand the System Administration menu.

Providing the user has the privilege to Manage Categories & Attributes then the link List Categories will be displayed.  Click the List Categories link and the categories page is displayed.  

Click on the link associated with the category name or the Edit link located to the right of the category name.

The Category Information page is displayed and any attributes that have been defined are listed.

Deleting A Category

To delete the category, select the relevant option from the  icon context menu in the Category Information page.

A confirmation dialogue will appear and when the OK button is pressed the delete action will be completed.

If the category has data records associated with it then the following warning message will be issued, and the category will be disabled rather than deleted.

Disable a Category

To disable a category, select the relevant option from the icon context menu of the Category Information page.

The disabled category can then be viewed from the inactive categories list.  To access the inactive categories, select the   icon from the Categories page and select List Inactive from the context menu.

The inactive categories will be listed in a window with the same functionality as the active categories.

For a disabled category, selecting the  icon from the Category Information page will provide a context menu of that includes the ability to enable or delete the category.

Enable Category will return the category to being an active category.

Exporting and Importing Categories

The ability to export categories and attributes from repository and then import them into another repository provides the means to develop and test functionality on one repository before transferring this to a production environment. 

Both import and export are provided from the  icon context menu on the Categories page.

Exporting Categories

• Select Export Categories from the icon context menu on the Categories page. 

• Choose the relevant categories to export from the current repository by clicking in the checkbox provided. Where a category has the scope of ‘Data Only’ you can also elect to export the data contained with the table by selecting the check box With Data.  To select all categories, check the Select box in the title bar and to select data from all the data only categories check the box With Data.
• When the selections are complete click on the Export link and a dialogue will be displayed asking you to open or save the file.

• Select Save and the browser will prompt you for a location and name for the file.  Please note that the default file name is KWorkerExport.xml and it is advisable to change this to something more meaningful.

• Change the file name to something meaningful. For example:-

• Select Save to complete the export.  The file is now available for transfer and import into another repository.

Importing Categories

• Select Import Categories the icon context menu on the Categories page. 

• Use the Browse button to locate a suitable export file.

• Select Open to load the details for the file into the dialogue and then select the Load button in the Import Categories page to display the files contents.

• If the export file is not the file you expected you could return to the previous screen to select another file by using the LoadFile link.
• Select the categories from the file that you wish to import by ticking the relevant checkboxes. For data categories there is the option to add the data held in the export file:
  • No Data – this will cause any data for the category in the export file to be ignored and not imported.
  • Append Data – this will add any data found in the export file for the category to the category once it has been imported. Please note this option should be used with care because if the category already exists in the repository, then this may cause the creation of duplicate records.
  • Replace Data - this will cause any data in the category to be deleted and any data in the export file for the category to be loaded in its place.
• The import can be completed by selecting the Import link. A confirmation dialogue will appear and when OK is pressed the import will proceed.

• The import report will detail the changes that have been made and the Cancel link can be used to return to the Categories page.

• Using the Preview link from the Import Categories page offers the opportunity to review the changes before these are committed to the repository and provides a similar import report. The example below shows the effect of importing the same file again.

• Once the changes have been reviewed and accepted select the Apply Changes link to proceed with the import. A confirmation dialogue will appear and when OK is pressed the import will completed.

Managing Objects and Permissions

Permissions

KnowledgeWorker® uses a permissions model, which is accessed by clicking on the icon that is located to the right of the item name.

The  icon for personal workspace items.

The  icons for items in a library listing.

Clicking on the icon will cause a context menu to appear so that you can select ‘Permissions’.  If you do not have the right to change permissions, it will not be shown in the context menu.

The current permissions for the item are displayed.

Notice that only the owner of the item has all permissions for the item.  The only other level of permission, which is granted automatically, is to the owner’s base group colleagues and that is only the right to see and see the contents i.e. to load and view the item.  This is the default for a document added to the library.

Note – in the Personal Workspace only the owner will have permissions by default.  In the case of projects, the document owner has less permissions, but the project co-ordinator gains full permissions on the document.

Should you wish to extend these default permissions, click on the Grant Access To button.  This will display the user selection page.

You can select either individual users or groups by making the relevant selection from the Search on dropdown window.  In this instance the permission will be given to an individual user.

To display the complete list of system users, leave the entry field blank and click on Find to display the list of users.

Click on the check box to select the user to add to the item's permission list.  Then click OK to return to the permissions screen.

Notice that the screen now shows the person selected but they still have no permissions to access the item.  No permission would actually deny this user any access to the document.

To allocate the required permissions click on the users name e.g. HR Manager. This will display the following screen:

Check the required boxes to allow the user the permissions that you want.

Then click on the Update button and the screen will be redrawn showing the new permissions for the item.

Note – providing extra permissions to a file in a folder structure to which the user cannot navigate will allow the user search access but will not change the permissions on the folder structure.

Permission Inheritance

The setting up and maintenance of file permissions is simple and straightforward.  However, KnowledgeWorker® provides a powerful mechanism called permission inheritance that means that the permissions for each document do not have to be set individually.

It is possible to set up permissions required at the folder level.  As documents and folders are created within the parent folder, they inherit the same permissions.  Of course, these can be overridden for each individual item if required. 

Workflow Management

A workflow is a process-map, which intelligently routes a work package between groups of users, individuals, or application programs.

A work package consists of electronic business forms with associated documentation and attachments that are required to complete a business process.

To map a business process into a KnowledgeWorker® workflow map, you must create a workflow map using the Workflow Designer tool.  The Workflow Designer is a java application, which allows a user to map each of the tasks or stages of a process into a workflow map by ‘painting’ the process as a flow diagram.

The Workflow Designer provides a set of tools that can be dragged onto a palette to represent each stage of a business process.  For each stage/point in the process, you can define the specific details to be displayed on an electronic form, and control what fields a user is required to complete or amend.  In addition, the workflow participants can add attachments to the process that may be completed work documents, forms, or comments.

Some of the advantages of creating a workflow map to automate a business process are:

• KnowledgeWorker® provides visibility of exactly where a process currently is, and how long it has to go before completion.
• The workflow engine automatically routes work packages to the correct individuals or groups of people depending upon decisions made or the contents of entered data.
• An audit trail is maintained for each workflow instance, to allow performance measuring and accountability.
• The workflow process will always ensure that best practices are followed for each business process.
• Using workflows ensures that all the information for any given task/process is always accessible, in one place and easily retrieved using the search engine.
• The workflow engine provides email notifications to task recipients to notify them that a task is available to be processed.
• Workflow ensures that no task ever goes missing or is forgotten and that the right person does the right thing at the right time.
• Tasks and processes can be assigned priorities, so that your business always processes the most important tasks first.
• Allows remote users or home workers to participate in business processes as if they were in the office.
• The workflow engine automatically notifies workflow participants of any comments entered by other users, as tasks are being completed or updated.
• The workflow engine can pass information to other external computer systems or applications using a programmable interface.

Adding Workflows

• Click Workflow from the navigation bar.  The ‘Workflows’ page is displayed.

• Click on the icon at the top of the page to display the context menu.

• Select Add Workflow from the context menu. The Add New Workflow page is displayed.

• Enter a title for the Workflow map into the Title.
• Enter some text into the Description field, this is optional but may help in future identify the workflow function. Note - The text entered into this field will only be visible from the ‘Workflow Information’ page
• On the Category field, select None from the category drop down. The category field displays as ‘None’ and several associated fields are removed.
• Click the Browse button from the File Name.  A Choose File dialog box appears.

• Locate and select the Workflow Map file. Note -You can only insert Workflow Map files that have the .xml extension.
• Click the Open button. The Choose File dialog box closes, and the File Name field is populated with the location of the Workflow Map.
• Click the Add File button. The Workflow Map is uploaded, and the ‘Workflows’ page is displayed, listing the new Map.

How to Initiate a Workflow

A workflow can be initiated from either the Home page, or Workflow pages of the repository. 

• Click Workflow from the navigation bar.  The Workflows page is displayed.
• Click the title of the workflow to be initiated and the Initiate Workflow page is displayed.
• Complete the fields required on the form. An error message will display unless all mandatory fields are entered. Mandatory fields have an asterisks (*) symbol by the field name.
• Click on the Initiate button to start the workflow process.

Once initiate has been pressed the workflow instance has been created and can be seen from Workflow and Action Instances from the Admin page.  The workflow instance bases all future actions on the version of the workflow map in use at the time that it was initiated.  Future instances may differ if the business process captured in the workflow map changes and a new version of the map is created.

Viewing Instances

Select Workflow and Action Instances from the Admin page.

KnowledgeWorker® will display a screen showing all the ‘Active’ workflows:

Workflow instances can be displayed depending upon their status by selecting the icon and selecting either All, Active, Suspended, Stopped or Completed from the context menu.

To Suspend, Stop or Delete a workflow instance, click on the  icon beside the relevant workflow instance.  This will display a context menu that will allow the appropriate function to be selected.

Suspending a workflow instance is a temporary status.  The suspended workflow can be returned to its normal (active) status by selecting the Resume Workflow Instance option from the list of suspended workflow instances.

Stopping a workflow instance is a permanent action; the workflow cannot be resumed after this action has been taken. After stopping a workflow, the only subsequent operation would be to ‘Delete’ the workflow instance.

System Maintenance

As with any system, KnowledgeWorker® has a number of features and parameters that are the responsibility of system administrators to maintain.  The frequency of these maintenance activities for the system administrator is dependent upon local circumstances.  This section identifies the activities that a system administrator may need to undertake periodically.

Please note that typically you would not need to use ‘Create Default Vaults’ but it has been included in the ‘System Administration’ menu in case problems are encountered creating the vaults during installation.

Task Templates

Task Templates are similar to the workflow maps in that they are designed with the flow designer, but task templates provide generic functionality for everyone involved in projects.  Examples of task templates are Review Requests, Admin requests and Telephone Messages.

Task templates, like workflows, are based on a workflow category but typically only have two or three task steps.  Task Templates unlike workflows processes are used for spontaneous tasks and are reloaded each time from the original workflow map file.

To gain access to task templates:

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration. 

• Select Task Templates to view the existing task templates in the repository. 

Adding a Task Template

• Select Workflow from the navigation bar.
• Click on the icon from the Workflow page and select Start Workflow Designer from the context menu.

• The browser screen is redrawn to display the Workflow Designer application.

• Create a workflow map. Remember that Task Templates typically only have two or three steps.
• Save the map to a local directory.
• Click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.
• Click Task Templates to view the existing task templates in the KnowledgeWorker® repository. 

• Select the icon from the Task Maps page and the Add New Task page is displayed.

• Select None from the category drop down.
• Click the Browse button from the File Name field.
• A Choose File dialog box appears.

• Locate and select the Workflow Map file. Please note that you can only insert Workflow Map files that have the .xml extension.
• Click the Open button. The Choose File dialog box closes, and the File Name field is populated with the location of the Workflow Map.
• Enter a title for the title for the task template into the Title field.
• You may also enter some text into the Description field, but this is optional
• Click the Add File button to uploaded workflow map file.  The Task Maps page is displayed, listing the new Task Template.

Updating a Task Template

Task Templates are updated in much the same way as Workflows.

• Click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.
• Click Task Templates to view the existing task templates in the repository. 

• Select the Edit link from the Task Maps page to launch the Workflow Designer.  The Workflow Designer will load the current version of the map.

• Edit the map and the use Save As to save the changed map to a local directory.
• Click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration menu.
• Click Task Templates to view the existing task templates in the repository. 
• Click on the icon from the relevant Task Map and select Add Version from the context menu.  

• Use the Browse button to locate and select the changed workflow map.
• Add comments if you wish.
• Click the Add File Version button to update the selected task template.

MIME Types

For each document type added to KnowledgeWorker® the system tries to identify the appropriate MIME type and corresponding icons so that when a folder listing is displayed the user is provided with a visual identifier as to the type of document and its status.

After initial installation KnowledgeWorker® has a basic set of MIME types and icons installed.  However, a system-privileged user can extend this library to include additional icons and MIME type information for other applications.  The user will need to create four icons for each MIME type (see Table below).

Icon Name	Icon Size (in pixels)	Description
Large	120 high X 117 wide	Used in Category Search
Small	16 high X 16 wide	Used in folder lists
Checked-out	16 high X 16 wide	Used to indicate an item is checked –out by a user
Shortcut	16 high X 16 wide	Used to indicate that the item is a shortcut to an item held elsewhere in KnowledgeWorker®

Checked-out items have an icon like and Shortcut items have an icon like . Please look at existing icons, such as Word documents (.doc) to see this convention in practice.

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration menu. 

• Select List Mime Types to view the existing MIME types in the repository. The screen then presents the existing MIME icons and the ability to edit them if so desired.

Note - when KnowledgeWorker® is installed the MIME icons are held in the directory Timeimages\file_icons within the KnowledgeWorker® virtual directory but when a user chooses to list MIME types then it is assumed that these are about to be changed.  This assumption causes:

• The contents of the directory Timeimages\file_icons to be replicated in the vaults directory.
• A new MIME icons vault to be created.
• A database entry to be changed that makes all future logins refer to the MIME icon vault.

The MIME icons therefore become part of the user data held in the vaults, protecting the MIME icons from being changed / reverted as a result of future updates to the KnowledgeWorker® application.

New MIME Types

• To create a new MIME type, select the icon from the MIME Types page. 

Complete the details for the new MIME type including the recognised MIME type, which can be located from the web and the file extensions used, separated by a semi colon. 

The Download Type by default can be left as inline as this defines how any file with this MIME type is handled when the link is selected in the Library.  Typically, the selected file is supplied as inline content and the browser is happy to display the file contents.  For some browser plug-ins it may be necessary to change the delivery from inline to attachment (Attach) so that the file content is displayed.  If in doubt leave as the default (inline) and edit the MIME type to change this later if there are problems.

Browse for each of the appropriate icon files and then press Add to save the information.

The icons will be copied into the MIME icons vault and then these icons will be displayed for all future files added with this MIME type or extension. 

Note - previously added files will not be affected unless the MIME type is manually changed using version controls.

Editing a MIME Type

There are times when you may wish to edit the supplied MIME types, such as to provide new icons or to extend the file extensions.

• To edit a new MIME type, first locate the relevant MIME type on the MIME Types page.
• Select the Edit link to the right of the MIME type name and the Edit Mime Type page will be displayed.  The Edit link for the MIME type application/pdf was selected for the following image of the edit screen.

• The current information for the selected MIME type is displayed including the icon images. All the information can be edited and saved using the Update button. 
• If necessary, the MIME type can be removed completely using the Delete button.

Managing the Mail System

The KnowledgeWorker® application has mechanisms to send users notifications when relevant events have been detected.  The mail system makes use of text held in a set of fields and for Microsoft SQL Server these fields can be managed from the ‘System Administration’ menu.

Note - for Oracle the configuration is completed by editing a text file in the Mailing System Folder.

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration menu. 

• A dialogue appears and asks you to define the location of the notify.exe application.

Note - For users whose repository is in SQL Server, then the first dialogue will ask for Administrative Account details to connect to the SQL Server to update the job for the KnowledgeWorker® Instance.

• Enter the Mailing System Folder where the mail notification program (Notify.exe) has been stored, normally “C:\Program Files\Datum\KWorker\ADDINS\Notify”. This folder is will also be used by KnowledgeWorker® to store the mail configuration file.  Press the Submit button to enter the screen to configure the mail system parameters.
• The page is redrawn to show the current information for the mail notify application.

Where:

Mailing System Folder    As specified in the Mailing System Folder of the previous page 

Host                                 The URL of the web host.  This is used as part of the URL link defined in the                                                 email to access the items in the KnowledgeWorker®.  This is normally the                                                     server and alias for the web pages (KWorker).

Database                         This is the repository, which aligns with the Database Name for SQL Server or                                               the Tablespace Name for Oracle.

Mail From                        This is the email From address that will appear in emails generated by                                                          notify.exe. Note - some mail gateways check the from: address to prevent the                                                forwarding of emails that are not from the company domain.

Text Fields                      These fields hold the text to be used for the messages.  The messages will be                                               automatically generated when the various items are initiated / created within                                               the repository.  Note - all notifications use a common language at this time.

Job Operator Email         Location to be mailed with information relating to system events such as                                                     initiation failure (used only for SQL Server).

Report Directory              Location for the error reports / log, generally, this is the same as the Mailing                                                System Folder.

Managing KnowledgeWorker® Parameters

The KnowledgeWorker® application has some internal parameters to support its function that can be adjusted by a member of the system group.  These parameters do not normally need to be adjusted for day-to-day operation, but may need to be after the initial installation, or if new hardware is added or changed.

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the  button to expand the System Administration.

• Select Configure System Parameters the system defaults. The screen then presents the system defaults and options.

• Temporary Directory - is a location that is used as a staging area prior to items being moved to the appropriate vault in the KnowledgeWorker® file store. It is important that this area has sufficient space for the documents that are being loaded into the system and the permissions on this directory permit the IUSR and the KWUser to read / write to the area. Failure to have sufficient space or the removal of files from this location can cause users to experience errors.
• Thumbnails – this field permits the use of third-party software to automatically create thumbnail files for JPG, BMP and GIF files when they are added to the Media Library. The thumbnails appear instead of the MIME type icon for these graphic files, thus permitting the speedy selection of an appropriate file from the results returned by category search. 

Note - Please do not use or change this option unless the thumbnail software detailed in the installation guide has been installed. For further details on installation of the thumbnail software option please refer to the installation guide.

• Number of Item Content Search Results to display – this field holds the suggested limit for item content search results.
• Support Text – this field holds details of how to contact support and would including information such as support hours.
• Support Email – this field holds the email address to send support issues to.
• Support Phone – this field holds the telephone number to contact support regarding urgent support issues.
• Maximum Vault Size – This is used by Vault Manager to determine the maximum size of new vaults it is creating. (See “Managing Vaults”)
• Vaults Web Server – This is the URL of the Web Server running Index Server from which the vaults are accessible. This is normally the same URL as the application server.
• Vaults Web Site – This is the Web Site in which to the virtual directories for the vaults exist. The available web sites are displayed once the Vaults Web Server has been entered and the screen has refreshed.

Manage Users Home Page 

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.
• Select the Manage Users Home Page option from the System Administration. This allows the system administrator to Customise Homepage for any user in the repository. 

The dropdown list of users allows the system administrator to select the user whose home page attributes are to be changed.  Once the user is selected the page redraws to reflect the user’s current settings.

The Show column, when checked will show the relevant bar on the home page of the selected user, when unchecked will hide that bar from the home page of the selected user.  This may be useful when setting up an account for an external user.

Checking the expanded tick box will cause the respective bar to show all the items in list format beneath.  Un-checking the tick box will just show the bar title. 

The other columns dictate where the bars are to be displayed and how many items are displayed within each expanded bar.

The position number ranks the display of the bars, position 1 being displayed at the top of the list followed by position 2 etc.  If there are two sections with the same position number, they are displayed in alphabetical order.

The field Max. Items are the number of items, which appear in an expanded list.  If you are a member of 300 projects, but have “Max. Items” set as 10, then only the first 10 in alphanumeric sequence will appear in the home page list.  In the same way if you have 500 in the “Max. Items” but there are only 300 in total the list will contain just the 300 projects; note however that it will not show another 200 blank lines.

The display format radio buttons decide which side of the home page the bar will be displayed.  Bars deemed to be “Reports” are listed in the right-hand section of the home page whereas bars defined as “Mini List” are listed on the left-hand side.

Use the Save button to commit the changes for the selected user.

Manage Report Access

Manage Report Access is used to control the access to the custom bars on the user home page. 

Custom bars can be created by developers who have undertaken customisations, such as the introduction of Microsoft Excel Reports.  As this customised functionality may not be required by all the users of the repository then a mechanism has been provided where the system administration can determine the users to have access to the custom functionality.

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar. The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration. 
• Select Manage User Report link from the System Administration menu.

• Select the report type.
• From the users list on the left select the users that are to have access to the custom reports displayed on their user home page and click on one of the buttons in the centre to transfer the selected users to the list Users with access.

Where the users have already been set up then the buttons provide mechanism to move users between the lists.  The buttons provide following the functionality respectively:

• To remove all users access to the custom functionality
• To remove individual user(s) access to the custom functionality
• To add individual users(s) access to the custom functionality
• To add all users access to the custom functionality
• Click the Submit button for the access changes to be saved.
• Access the user home page for a user has been granted access to see the new bar on the user homepage.

Manage Page Text

The repository supports multiple languages, and this is achieved by having all the text in XML files, one per language.  Providing the files have been made editable then the system administrator can logon to the repository in the desired language and manage the text for the relevant pages.

For example, to change text in the Categories page:

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.
• Select the Manage Page Text link from the System Administration.

Select the Page Name or the Edit link for the page.  This will display the current labels and the text associated with the label.

Change the relevant text and then select Save to write the changes to the XML file.

Note - that the XML file may be updated the next time a delivery is made so a careful note must be made of all changes.

Managing Vaults

The KnowledgeWorker® file storage environment is made up of a series of directories called “Vaults”.  Each of the Vaults has a specific function but as with any directory there is a limit to the number of items that can contained and still maintain a reasonable performance.  The system administrator can choose the preferred method of managing vaults:

• Manually performing regular checks and creating new vaults as necessary
• Create a scheduled task to execute a vault manager process.

Irrespective of the technique used to manage the vaults it is not recommended that more than 10,000 items be held within a single vault.  The threshold in most deployments is 5,000 items per vault.

Manual Vault Management

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.

• Select List Vaults to view the vaults. The different Vault Types are presented in a list and to examine the information in each vault type select List.

• For each vault type the available vaults are listed.

• Select the vault name to view the vault contents. The vault contents are presented including a count of the items.  Note it may take some time to display if the vault contains thousands of items.
• When a new vault is required select the icon from the Vaults page to create a new vault. 

• Provide the details for the new vault including the Vault Name, Vault Type and size, and then press Add to create the new vault.
• In the Vaults page find the details of the full vault and select Edit to amend the Vault In Use from Yes to No. This has the effect of suspending the ability of users to add new items to the repository.

• Find the details of the new vault and select Edit to amend the Vault In Use from No to Yes. This has the effect of resuming the ability of users to add new items to the KnowledgeWorker® environment. The new vault will now be used for all items added to the vault type in KnowledgeWorker®.  The full vault is retained, and the information held is referenced for searching and read only activities.

Vault Manager Process

The Vault Management Process, provided as an add-on to KnowledgeWorker®, has three elements:

• A COM Component (WWVAULT.dll)
• An executable (VaultMngr.exe)
• A configuration file (VAULT_MNGR.ini)

Install the COM component into the KnowledgeWorker® package in Component Services using the following instructions: -

In the Control Panel > Select Administrative Tools and then > Select Component Services

OR

Select Start > Programs >Administrative Tools > Component Services.

Open the tree in the left-hand pane to reveal the KnowledgeWorker® components.

IMPORTANT: Double‑click the components entry to reveal the contents of KnowledgeWorker® in the right‑hand pane.  A single click will affect the same display, but the menu list associated with the component's entry will not be the same.

The install wizard will launch.

In the File Open dialogue, navigate to the folder for Vault Manager that has been copied from the KnowledgeWorker® CD and select the file WWVAULT.dll.

The selected DLL’s will appear in a dialogue.

Adjust the Configuration File

Edit the configuration file (VAULT_MNGR.ini) so that the details are correct for the current deployment.

• Server - Should be the name that is normally used in the login screen.
• Userid - The identifier of a user under which the process will be run, such as –1000 if the system user.
• Notify - yes or no depending upon the desire to receive email notifications on the creation of new vaults. Note: The origination address is fixed and with some mail gateways it may be necessary to adjust the rule set to permit the receipt of the mail messages.
• Email - The email address of the recipient to be advised of any errors (if creation not successful), or confirmation of the creation of a new vault, such as user1@Datumbas1.

Create a Scheduled Task for the executable

The Vault Manager execution should be checked before the creation of a scheduled task.  The creation of a scheduled task can either be an operating system scheduled task or a Database Job depending on the particular knowledge and preference of the local administrators. 

Please refer to the relevant help information to configure the scheduled task.

It is advisable to configure the scheduled task to run at a regular interval, perhaps daily when the system is quiet so as not to disrupt user activity.  The Vault Manager will only create vaults utilizing existing locations and therefore if vaults are being relocated this must be undertaken manually.  Vaults exceeding the maximum size will continue to contain the same number of items, as it is not part of Vault Managers function to adjust the content of vaults.

Managing Temporary Files and Log files (web)

The KnowledgeWorker® environment employs temporary files and the Microsoft Internet Information Server creates log files.  It is therefore important that the system administrator employs techniques to manage these files to avoid adversely affecting performance.

The Office Integration Components use a folder called KWCLIENT to hold a temporary copy of the objects being published to the repository.  As the users of the Office Integration tools are unaware that selecting Publish to KnowledgeWorker… creates entries in this directory on the local machine they will not normally clear it down.  It is recommended that system administrators enlist the help of their network administrators to include a purge of this folder each time the user logs onto the network, such as in the user's profile.

The Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) by default creates a new log file of events daily and places these log files in a folder in the default windows directory\system32\logfiles.  These log files can, on a busy server, occupy a significant amount of disk space and therefore it is recommended that a strategy is employed to ensure that the log files are managed to meet the audit and support requirements but do not consume vast amounts of the server’s disk space.

One approach for the IIS log files is to place them on a separate space from the operating system.  On the KnowledgeWorker® server, navigate to IIS using the Microsoft Management Console plug-in.

Select the web site in which the log file's location is to be adjusted, such as the Default Web Site, then use the right click on the mouse to display the menu of options, select properties to display the web site properties as in the following figure.

To change the location of the log files, select the Properties button.

Change the Local File Directory to a separate location, such as a dedicated partition for log files.

Virus Protection

The KnowledgeWorker® application includes a file storage environment and it is best practice to employ techniques to protect this environment from virus infection. 

It is important that where possible the source application of documents employ mechanisms to ensure that viruses cannot enter KnowledgeWorker®, such as all users having virus protection on their machines. 

Deployment of virus scanning software onto the KnowledgeWorker® file storage can also be employed to prevent infected files being propagated to other users.  When virus protection software is employed on the KnowledgeWorker® file storage there may be instances where files are quarantined and reported to the system administrator.  Any such quarantined files should be disinfected, where possible, before being returned to their original location with the original file name.  Should it be impossible to disinfect the file then it may be appropriate to place an alternate file in the original location with the original file name that reports the procedure that the user is to follow, particularly if they are the originator.

Virus Protection Software which captures files enroute to the file storage environment, such as in the temporary directory, whilst providing good protection to the KnowledgeWorker® environment may be perceived as problematic, as the errors reported to the user will not indicate that the problem is due to a suspected virus.  It is therefore not the recommended approach to virus protection at this time.

It is also advisable to exclude the file S6CK.ocx from virus scanning.  This file is used to generate the unique serial number and as such does a low-level interrogation of the hardware and software environment.  Some virus scanning packages wrongly identify this files signature (because of these activities), as a potential infection.

Backup and Restoration

The backup and restoration of the KnowledgeWorker® system is important for disaster recovery but is also important for establishing development and test environments or even for moving the application to a new environment.

Backup

The main server-based components to backup are:

• The KnowledgeWorker® software itself, which changes infrequently
• The KnowledgeWorker® directory from the windows/system32 directory
• The KnowledgeWorker® Database instances
• The KnowledgeWorker® Vaults, for each database instance

The KnowledgeWorker® software is provided on a CD but it is important that if any customisations have been deployed the local system administrator also places these in a backup.  It is advisable that the system administrator also does a backup of the Internet Information Server Metabase and instructions on performing this task are provided by Microsoft.

The CCS directory in windows/system32 contains the DSN.txt file that holds in encrypted format all the information to access the KnowledgeWorker® database instances and the user licence file.  Whilst the user licence file will not function on another machine, a backup provides security should the file become corrupted.

The KnowledgeWorker® environment may support more than a single database instance.  It is not unusual to install a separate live and test database instance.  The live database instance has the real data but the test system permits training to be carried out without cluttering the live database.  The database backup must be completed prior to the backup of the vaults but the backup technology used depends upon local preferences.  For example, there are SQL Agents available for SQL Server and Oracle that can be purchased and used, alternatively it may be decided that a scheduled job or task is sufficient.

The KnowledgeWorker® Vaults, for each instance of the database, should have a backup initiated as soon as the respective database backup has completed.

The KnowledgeWorker® Vaults are standard directories within the file system and therefore these can be copied to another server or backup software can be used to store the file structure to another media in a compressed form.  It is important that the system administrator monitors the size of the KnowledgeWorker® Vaults and ensures that an appropriate strategy is used to be able to recover all the files in a timely manner.

It is important that test restorations are also undertaken periodically to ensure that data integrity can be maintained in the event of a disaster.  One point to check is that users have not been using excessively long filenames as there have been some reports that these can cause problems when doing a restoration / copy.

Restoration

The restoration of a KnowledgeWorker® system must always include the database and the vaults for a given instance on a given date and time.  Mixing and matching databases and vaults from different dates and times will not restore a stable system.

To reconstruct a repository first undertake a standard installation as defined in the installation guide and create a dummy repository.  The dummy repository provides:

• The creation of the appropriate entries in CCS directory of windows/system32 or the registry (pre Version 3.0 Build 2711)
• The confirmation that the installation has been successful and that all the components are functioning correctly

Restore the database, as per the instructions for the relevant database.  Ensure that the relevant user has been created and been granted access to the restored database.

Restore the files to a folder in the vault area.

Edit the Vault table in the restored database to ensure that the path for each of the vaults is consistent with the location of the restored vaults.  For example, most of the vaults in the listing below were originally located in C:\vaults\demosys1 but in a restored environment this may have changed.

If the server's name is to be different from that in the original environment, then it is also important to update the vault name in the Vault table.  The vault_name should be set to the name of the virtual directory that must be created for each of the vault areas.

To create the virtual directory for the vaults first logon to the file system as a user with enough permissions to create virtual directories.  Navigate to the area that holds the restored vaults.

Select each vault in turn and right click to display the available options.  Select Sharing from the pop-up menu and then on the Web Sharing tab, elect to Share This Folder.  The following dialogue will be displayed. 

Enter the Aliases as the vault name held in the database for the folder and set the application permissions to None.

Select OK to confirm the information and the details on the Web Sharing Tab will be change to those in the next dialogue.

Repeat this process for each of the vaults.  The Microsoft Index Server should begin indexing the files contained in the vault areas.

Plote it is also advisable to consult the Installation Guide regarding permissions on KnowledgeWorker® Vaults, as these may be different on this environment.  It is particularly important where the KnowledgeWorker® application is distributed across multiple servers.

For versions up to and including Version 3.0 Build 2711.

NOTE - The Next task is to edit the Registry file. Please do not undertake this task unless there is a backup of the registry file.

Use the registry editor in the Windows environment to edit the key held in: -

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Setting\KcenterServer\Database

Copy the entry from the displayed entry using the Control and C keys and paste this into notepad.

Paste the dummy entry into the Notepad window again.  The dummy record should provide a basic template for the information required to connect to the database.  Edit the details in the second entry to ensure that:

• The appropriate server name used at logon appears before the colon
• The username and password for the database are correct
• The database details are correct.

Copy the entry from notepad to the string editor and press OK.

For post Version 3.0 Build 2711, there is a file called “dsn.txt” in the Windows/system32/KnowledgeWorker® directory of the KnowledgeWorker® server that has the KnowledgeWorker® COM components installed. 

Use the application EncryptDNS.exe from the support directory of KnowledgeWorker® to decrypt the dsn.txt file.  Once decrypted the dsn.txt file can be edited using a text editor to include the appropriate entry for the restored KnowledgeWorker® database.  An example of the DSN entry for SQL Server is:

,KnowledgeWorker®  :driver={SQL Server};server=(local);database=KnowledgeWorker®  ;user id=KnowledgeWorker®  ;password=KnowledgeWorker®  ;dsn=

The details in the entry include:

• The appropriate server name used at logon appears before the colon
• The database server name and instance name, if appropriate
• The username and password for the user with access to the database

To be able to enter the KnowledgeWorker® environment the dsn.txt file must be encrypted again using the application ‘EncryptDNS.exe’ from the support directory of KWORKER. 

It is now time to logon to the database through the KnowledgeWorker® environment.  Once it has been proven as successful, it is time to restore any customisations to the KnowledgeWorker® environment.  Install any add-ins and the restoration of the KnowledgeWorker® environment is now complete.

If a restored copy of the dsn.txt file is available, then it is possible to copy this to the KnowledgeWorker® directory in windows/system32.  It is however advisable to make a copy of the original dsn.txt file.  Before using the restored dsn.txt decrypt it and visually check the restored entries are correct and adjust accordingly before encrypting the file.  A restored dsn.txt file can save a significant amount of time over retyping the entries.

DO NOT FORGET: KnowledgeWorker® can only provide a successful login with an encrypted DSN.txt file.

Licence Management

The KnowledgeWorker® product uses an activation code and a concurrent user licence model.  As part of the initial installation of KnowledgeWorker® an unlocking code will have to be provided to activate the KnowledgeWorker® software.  The unlocking code is uniquely generated from a serial number that is generated by the KnowledgeWorker® software when it is installed.

If any hardware components in your server supporting the KnowledgeWorker® COM components change, it is advisable to check that your KnowledgeWorker® system remains activated.

To check the system remains active:

• Login into KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the ‘system’ group, then click on Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click on the button to expand the System Administration.

• Select License Information to view the ‘License Registration’ page.
• On the ‘License Registration’ page check the license status remains Licensed.

If the license status has changed it is important to note the serial number and contact Ideagen.

Updating Concurrent User Licences

If there is a need to extend the maximum concurrent user licenses, the local system administrator can apply to Ideagen to extend their licences.

The local system administrator is advised to supply the serial number displayed in their registration page to Datum International so that a licence file can be provided to update the maximum concurrent user licences.

To access the registration page, see entitled ‘Licence Management’.

When the relevant formalities have been completed, a file called ‘UserLicence.lic’ will be supplied.  To update the Concurrent License File

1. Locate on the application server the KnowledgeWorker® directory in the Microsoft Windows directory.

Examples  Windows\System32\CCS
                 WinNT\System32\CCS

2. Copy the file UserLicence.lic provided, normally via email, into your KnowledgeWorker® directory of the Windows system folder on the KnowledgeWorker® application server.
3. Viewing the page http://localhost/KWorker/dbadmin/register.asp to confirm that the maximum concurrent licence value has been amended to the value defined in the licence file.

Managing Active sessions

The KnowledgeWorker® environment supports a concurrent user licence model and there will be times when users begin to report that they cannot gain access because there are no concurrent licences available.  A user with system privileges should then determine whether users have not exited correctly, thus restricting access for other users, or that there is a need to extend the maximum concurrent user licenses.

• Login to KnowledgeWorker® using an account with membership of the system group then click Admin from the navigation bar.  The Administration page is displayed.
• Click the button to expand the System Administration.

• Click List of Active Logons to view the current users.  This will display a list of active sessions on the KnowledgeWorker® environment and when these sessions were initiated.

• Select the check boxes of users to be removed and then icon. This will remove the selected user’s active sessions and will release these to other users.

Session Management

The KnowledgeWorker® application is based on the concurrent user licence model but each concurrent user is only permitted to maintain and idle session for a defined period of time before it released for use by another user.  This idle period is defined as the session timeout.

The session timeout is defined in Microsoft Internet Information Server and the default session’s timeout is twenty minutes.  An administrator of windows on the KnowledgeWorker® server may elect to increase or decrease the session timeout.  For example, if users frequently have long forms to complete in workflows, then it may be necessary to increase the timeout to ensure that users are not frustrated by session timeouts and thus losing their work.  Long session timeouts will cause the concurrent user community to remain high and may necessitate the purchase of additional user licences.

To adjust the session timeout:

• The administrator for the KnowledgeWorker® web server must login and launch Computer Management from the administrative tools.

• Expand the tree through Services and Applications, Internet Information Services, and the web site to reach the KnowledgeWorker® virtual directory.
• Right Click on the KnowledgeWorker® virtual directory and display its properties.

• From the properties page for the KnowledgeWorker® virtual directory, select the Configuration button.

• Navigate to the App Options tab to view the current session timeout.
• Now adjust the session timeout by entering the new value in the session timeout field and pressing the OK button. The figure below shows the timeout adjusted to 40 minutes.

Note - that although the system administrator may adjust the session timeout to a higher value, Microsoft Internet Information Server is at liberty to ignore this setting if the server becomes overloaded.