OWLdocs functions as a robust Record Management System, designed to efficiently handle the lifecycle management of diverse record formats within an organization. It facilitates systematic processes for creating, capturing, storing, retrieving, and managing records, which include documents, emails, audio, video, images, and data files such as XLS, CSV, and JSON. The primary focus is on records with organizational, legal, or historical significance, streamlining their accessibility and management.
See the OWLdocs Overview article for more information.
Accessible Features and Actions:
• Users can upload unlimited files.
• Folders can be created to keep different types of files separate and organized.
• Upload Zip files and unzip them after upload directly within OWLdocs.
• Access specific files by folders and Data sources.
• Access OWLxtract to extract PDF and image files.
• Access OWLtranslate to translate files.
• Access OWLidentify to search image files and identify matches within the OWL Platform.
• Access OWLimport to import Excel, CSV, and JSON files.
Steps to Access OWLdocs:
1. Click OWLdocs from the page headers. The OWLdocs page will open.
2. By default, the Main Folder Files will be displayed. These files are the files uploaded by you and the files collaborated on by other users with you, based on the collaboration setup. Accessible Features and Actions:
Upload File in OWLdocs
OWLdocs features a versatile file import system designed to support a wide range of upload formats, making it easy to manage diverse data requirements. The platform offers multiple import methods, including direct uploads to the OWLdocs module. This functionality enables users to upload individual files, batches of files, compressed zip folders, and even transfer data via FTP.
Accepted file formats:
xls, xlsx, csv, json, txt, pdf, zip, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff, eml, msg, pst, docx, pptx, html, ppt, xlf, xml, mp3, wav, ogg, mp4, avi, mov, mkv, sxpf, aiff, aac, flac, alac, rar, bmp, webp, svg, gif, md, doc
Step to Upload Files:
1. Click OWLdocs
2. This will open the OWLdocs page.
3. Click Upload File.
4. This will open the Upload Files pop-up window.
5. Click the Browse File(s) button.
6. Choose one or more files from your local system directory and click Open. OWL supports uploading up to 10 files at once. Please ensure each file has a unique name and hasn’t been previously uploaded to OWLdocs under the same name.
7. After selecting the files, OWL will display them in a pop-up window for review, allowing you to confirm and update additional details before proceeding with the upload.
8. Each file includes a Record Owner dropdown, displaying users based on the current login user's license. For instance, supervisors or administrators can assign a subordinate as the record owner when uploading a file. Once a record owner is selected, the Department dropdown will automatically refresh to show departments accessible to that user. Choose the appropriate department.
9. If Compliance is enabled for your organization, relevant compliance fields will appear for each selected file. Select the applicable compliance options as required.
10. The Data Source field identifies the shared origin of the uploaded files. This helps organize and retrieve files efficiently. For OWLvault file types (Excel, CSV, and JSON), this field is mandatory.
11. Use the Keyword field to assign each file a unique identifier. This enhances searchability and simplifies file retrieval during investigations.
12. After completing all required fields, click the Upload button.
13. Upon successful upload, a confirmation message will appear, and the file will be listed at the top of the OWLdocs screen.
Upload Files to an OWLdocs Folder
Similar to uploading files directly into the OWLdocs module, files can be uploaded directly into newly created or existing folders. Your role and department will determine the folder access you have. If you do not have access to other users’ folders, only yours will be displayed within your folder section of OWLdocs.
Steps to Create a New Folder and Upload:
1. Click OWLdocs.
2. Click Create within the OWLdocs menu to the left.
3. This will open the Create Folder pop-up window.
4. Enter the desired folder name. Make sure the folder name is unique for the folders in the same directory level.
5. Subfolders can also be created under any new primary folder that is created.
6. Click Create Folder to complete.
7. Click on the newly created folder now located under the ALL-Folder section within the OWLdocs menu.
8. Once selected, your folder name will appear at the top of the page as seen below.
9. Click Upload Files to browse the files from the local system.
10. Select the files that need to be uploaded.
11. Complete fields and compliances such as Record Owner, Department, Data source, etc.
12. Once all is done, click Upload to complete this action.
13. Your files are now displayed under the new folder.
14. These documents or files can also be uploaded from individual record types, like Case. Subject. Form etc. All these files can also be accessed from OWLdocs' main folder.
Upload a Zip file and Extract
Understanding the need for organizational bulk data transfers, OWLdocs enables users to upload zip files. This feature includes extracting zip file contents and maintaining the original directory structure as it appeared on the user’s device. Post-extraction, files undergo validation and are processed accordingly.
Steps to Upload Zip Files:
1. Click OWLdocs.
2. Click Upload File within the OWLdocs menu to the left.
3. Select a zip file from your local system. The zip file may or may not have multiple files or subfolders.
4. Click on Upload.
5. Now go to the folder where the zip file was uploaded.
6. Navigate to the Zip file action menu. Once you click it, you’ll see an option labelled “Unzip.”
7. Select the “Unzip File” option.
8. A confirmation message will appear stating “File Unzip successful.”
9. The Zip file will be extracted into a new folder named after the Zip file, located within the OWLdocs directory. This folder will also be visible in the OWLdocs menu.
10. If the Zip file contains subfolders, they will be created within the main folder with the same directory name as provided inside the zip file, maintaining the same directory structure as on your local system.
11. All files originally stored in the primary folder and its subfolders will be displayed accordingly within their respective locations.
12. Any unsupported file types—such as those with extensions like “.exe”, “.msi”, or other executable formats—will be excluded from the unzip process and will not be uploaded to the OWL system.
Edit OWLdocs
Aside from uploading files, OWLdocs also allows you to edit and manage your files as needed.
Steps to Edit Files:
1. Click OWLdocs.
2. Click the action menu under the Action column for the file you’d like to edit.
3. The file will show in an editable mode with a few fields that can be edited. The fields that can be edited are Data Source, File Compliance, Record Status, and Keyword
4. To add keywords to the file, click the Add Keyword+ button. This will reveal the keyword input field. Enter the desired keywords and save.
5. Provide the Data Source and Compliance Details, including Data Access Rights, 28 CFR Part 23, and the Retention Policy.
6. Update the Record Status by selecting the appropriate option from the dropdown menu.
7. After completing all edits, click the Save button in the action menu.
8. A confirmation message will appear indicating that the information has been successfully updated.
9. If compliance fields are mandatory, ensure all required compliance options are selected before saving the record.
10. Once saved, the updated information will be visible for the file within OWLdocs.
11. If compliance is mandatory at the organizational level and not added to the file, a red warning icon will appear. If compliance is enabled but not mandatory, a yellow yield icon will be shown instead. Both icons indicate that compliance data is missing from the file
View OWLdocs Files & Filters
Filters in OWLdocs allow OWL users to search for a specific file under the OWLdocs system based on its role & license.
Steps to filter OWLdocs:
1. OWL filter contains the following filter options.
• File Name: Allows you to search for a file based on file name.
• Record Owner: Allows you to search for a file based on the file or record owner's name.
• Created From/To: Allows you to search for a file uploaded between two different dates.
• Record Status: Allows you to search for a file with its current record status.
2. The files displayed in OWLdocs are determined by the logged-in user's license type and collaboration settings with other team members.
3. For instance, a user with a User Full license can access only their own files and folders, as well as those shared with them through collaboration settings and departmental associations.
4. Supervisors or Team Admins can view all files uploaded by their team or department members, along with any files and folders shared across the organization. They also have full editing rights for files created by their subordinates.
5. Administrator license holders can access all files uploaded by subordinate users across departments. They can view and edit these files in their administrative role. However, access to files owned by other administrators is granted only if those files have been explicitly shared or collaborated on.
6. To locate a specific file within a folder, first select the desired folder from the OWLdocs folder menu. Then, apply the appropriate filter to search within that folder based on the selected criteria.
Attach/Detach to Record
Files within OWLdocs can be attached to records such as cases, subjects, etc. This is helpful as users can upload files and come back later to attach records as needed. Files can also be detached from the record. Doing so will detach the file from the record and keep it within OWLdocs.
Steps to Attach to Record:
1. Click OWLdocs.
2. If the file has been uploaded directly to the OWLdocs page, by default, it will not be attached to a record, as there is no option when uploading files to attach them to records. Within the Attached to Record column, data will not be present.
3. To attach the file to a record, click the action menu under the Action column.
4. From the action menu, click Attached to Record.
5. This will open the Attached to Record pop-up.
6. The pop-up will display all the record types available the file can be attached.
7. Select the appropriate records to attach to the file. All these record type dropdowns will show the respective record types based on the selected file department.
8. OWLdocs files can be attached to a Case/Subject/Form/Information Sharing/Tips/Task.
9. If you wanted to attach the file to a specific form/Information Sharing/Tips or Task you can either select them directly from the specific record type dropdown or if these records are already attached to a case/subject then you can select the case and subject first which will filter the remaining record types and will show the forms/ information sharing/Tips/Taks attached to the case and subject.
10. While attaching the file to any parent record, you can select the “Retain the OWLdocs Compliance and Status” option to override the parent record compliance from the OWLdocs record.
11. After clicking on the Save button, the file will be attached to the respective record that is selected.
12. A file that is already linked to a record cannot be simultaneously attached to another record unless it is first detached from the original one.
13. To detach the file from the current linked record, go to the action menu from the file and click on the Detach Record option.
14. A pop-up to reconfirm the detachment will be shown on the screen to confirm.
15. Click on YES to confirm the detachment.
Edit Status
There may be times a user needs to update a file’s status. This is a seamless action within the OWLdocs as well.
Steps to Edit File Status:
1. Click OWLdocs.
2. Click the action menu under the Action column next to the appropriate file.
3. Click Edit Status. This will open only the status field.
4. Select the desired status. Click the green check mark to complete this action.
5. When a file is uploaded, the default status is set to OPEN only. Later, it can be edited to any other status available.
Download, Delete & Legal Hold
For easy management, files can be downloaded and deleted as needed within the OWLdocs module. Deleted files will be stored within the Trash Bin and will be permanently deleted after the timeframe set for the organization within the administration module.
Steps to Download and Delete:
- Download:
1. Download any file from OWLdocs by clicking Download in the file action menu under the Action column.
2. Each file that is deployed inside OWLdocs can be downloaded.
- Delete File:
3. Delete any file from OWLdocs by clicking Delete available in the file action menu under the Action column.
4. If no retention policy is present for the file, deleting the file will be successful.
5. Deleting a file can also be possible by updating the record status of the file to Deleted by editing the status.
Legal Hold:
6. The Legal Hold Date marks the exact time a legal hold is applied to a file or record. This action ensures that all relevant information is preserved when litigation is anticipated.
7. If a file has an existing retention policy, its legal hold date can be set to the current date and time.
8. Within the Action Menu for each file, the Legal Hold option will be available only if the file is governed by a retention policy or falls under 28 CFR compliance.
OWLvault
OWL vault has the same design and looks and feel as the OWLdocs only difference is that the OWLvault page shows all the files that are either imported, extracted, translated, or identified already in OWLdocs and are not in uploaded status.
Steps to access OWLvault and Features:
1. Click on OWLdocs from OWL headers.
2. The OWLdocs page will be loaded by default.
3. On the right-hand side menu, select the OWLvault tab.
4. This will load the OWLvault page with all the folder structure and design similar to OWLdocs.
5. There will be a limited number of features available for each file inside OWLvault.
6. These features are as follows:
• Edit Record • Edit Status
• Attach/Detach Record
• Download
• Legal Hold
• Transfer File
• Delete
7. All the features of the above action item are the same as those present in OWLdocs.