Create a Case

  • Updated
The OWL Case Management module is the central organizational framework for investigations, intelligence workflows, and regulated case handling. It is designed to support both structured investigations where a case is created at the outset, and dynamic workflows where information is collected first and formally organized into a case later.
 
This flexibility allows law enforcement, government, insurance special investigation units (SIUs), corporate investigation teams, and compliance-driven organizations to manage investigative work without requiring premature case creation. Cases, subjects, and records remain interconnected while preserving the security, auditability, and organizational clarity required throughout an investigation.

Use Case Management to:

  • Centralize investigation information: Organize case details, subjects, documents, notes, data queries, and investigative findings in one structured case.
  • Manage complex investigations: Connect related records and evidence while maintaining appropriate access, security, and permissions.
  • Standardize case workflows: Use configurable fields, templates, and statuses to create consistent processes for managing cases across departments.
  • Maintain security and compliance: Apply access controls, retention policies, legal holds, and other compliance requirements to protect sensitive case information.

Case Management Access

The Case Management feature is available based on the user's role, license, permissions, and collaboration access.
Role Access
Super Admin Has full access to view and manage all cases across the organization.
Administrator Can view and manage cases across the organization based on assigned permissions.
Team Administrator / Supervisor Can create, view, edit, and manage cases within their department.
User (Full License) Can create, view, and manage cases based on assigned permissions, department access, case ownership.
Information Sharing User No access to Case Management.
External Collaborator Full Cannot create a new case. Can view and edit cases that have been explicitly shared with them through collaboration, based on the collaboration permissions granted to the external collaborator.
External Collaborator Read-Only
 Cannot create, edit, or manage cases. Can view cases explicitly shared through collaboration

Edition Availability

The Case Management module is available with the following OWL Editions:
  • Standard 
  • Advanced 
  • Enterprise 
  • Smart City

Add Case

  1. Hover over Case Management. 
  2. Hover over Cases. 
  3. Click Add. The Add Case form opens.

Case Details

  1. Fill in all the required fields, such as Case Number, Case Name, Department, Case Status, Case Type, and Case Owner.
  2. Add information like compliance details, collaborators, necessary attachments, and Template before creating the case if required. This information can also be added after creating a case.

Field Descriptions: 

This section outlines the key fields available when creating a new case. Each field plays a specific role in capturing and managing case-related information. 

Case Details

  • Case Number: A required field that uniquely identifies each case within the organization. It can be auto-generated based on administrative settings. 
  • Case Name: The display name of the case. Depending on the admin configuration, this field may be mandatory or optional. 
  • Date Case Started: Indicates the official start date of the case.  This defaults to the time the case creation process began.
  • Case Owner: Automatically populated with the name of the user creating the case. Can be modified via dropdown selection.
  • Department: Displays department options based on the selected case owner. The primary department is selected by default. 
  • Case Status: A mandatory dropdown field that defines the current state of the case (e.g., active, closed). Includes both system-defined and custom statuses. The selected status determines whether case data is editable or view-only. 
  • Case Type: If enabled by the organization, this field appears on the Add Case page and must be selected from a dropdown menu. 
  • Case Notes: This is the section where the case notes can be created and can be viewed or edit later. Multiple Notes may be added to a case.

Case Notes

Add a Note during Case creation:

*For adding Notes to an existing Case, see the Update and Manage Cases article.

  1. Click on the “Add Notes” button.
  2. Enter the required fields such as:
  • Note Title
  • Note Type – Select the appropriate Note Type from the available list. 
  • Sensitivity – Select a sensitivity classification created by the Administrator or Super Administrator. 

  • Note Sub Type – Select a Sub Note Type if configured for the selected Note Type.

    If the selected Note Type is associated with a Note Template, the template structure and fields will automatically be displayed, allowing users to enter information in a predefined format.

If the selected Note Type is not associated with a template, users can manually enter the note details and description in the provided text area.

  1. After entering all required details, click the Save button to create the Note successfully.

When a note is created using a template, the template content is displayed in the expanded view of the note. If the content exceeds the available display area, it is presented within a scrollable section to ensure all template data can be viewed.

Editing a Note during creation:

  1. Select the existing Note and click the Action button. From the available options, select Edit. 

    This opens the Edit Note dialog window. When editing a note from the Add Case page, all Note fields are editable, including:

    • Note Title
    • Note Type
    • Note Sub Type
    • Sensitivity
    • Note Description
    • Associated Note Template
    • Template Fields (if applicable)

    Users can also change the associated Note Template by selecting a different Note Type or template configuration.

  2. Make the required modifications to the note details. 
  3. Click Update to save the changes successfully.

Deleting a Note during creation:

  1. Locate the note that needs to be deleted from the Notes section of the record. 
  2. Click the Action button corresponding to the note. 

  3. Select Delete from the available options. 

    A Delete Note confirmation dialog will be displayed.

  4. Click Delete to permanently remove the note, or Cancel to return without making any changes. 

Collaborator Information

  • User/Collaborator: Select the user to grant collaboration access to the case. The dropdown displays only users eligible under the organization’s collaboration settings. 
  • Collaborator Role: Defines the access granted to the selected collaborator. OWL may assign the role automatically based on organization settings, or allow you to select an available role when user-defined collaboration is enabled.

Add Attachments

Use Browse File(s) to attach intake documents, evidence, or other supporting files to the case.

  • You can select up to 10 files at a time.
  • Each file can be up to 5120 MB.
  • Only supported file formats can be uploaded. Click the information icon next to Browse File(s) to view the allowed formats.
  • A Data Source is required for Excel, CSV, and JSON files.
  • The user or organization's available storage space may further limit uploads.
  • Before uploading, confirm that each file is relevant to the case, appropriately classified, and authorized for storage in OWL.

Note: Attachments are uploaded after the case is created. If an attachment fails to upload, the case remains available and the file can be uploaded again.

Retention Policy Fields (if enabled)

  • Record Type: A system-generated field that appears if the Retention Policy is active. Defaults to "Case". 
  • Classification: A dropdown field created in the Administration module. It may be mandatory depending on the configuration. 
  • Archive Date: Automatically generated based on Record Type and Classification. 
  • Delete Date: Automatically generated based on Record Type and Classification. 

Security & Compliance

  • Access Rights Level: Defines the security clearance required to access the case. Clearance levels are hierarchical and configured per agency. Only users with equal or higher clearance can view the case. 
  • 28 CFR Part 23: If activated, this compliance field appears on the Add Case page and may be mandatory. 
  • Legal Hold: A toggle switch that places the case under legal hold, preventing record archival and deletion from applied Retention Policies. 
  • Legal Hold Date: Automatically populated with the current date when Legal Hold is activated. 

Templates 

Select Templates from Library: Located at the top-right corner of the Add Case page. Opens a pop-up window displaying all active templates. Only one template can be selected, and its fields will be added to the case form.