The OWL Intelligence Platform includes a variety of search, analysis, records management, and investigative tools. While individual features are covered in detail throughout the Knowledge Base, there are several navigation patterns and terms that appear repeatedly across OWL.

This article provides a basic orientation to the platform and defines common terminology you will encounter both in OWL and throughout the Knowledge Base.

Note: The modules, menus, views, and actions available to you depend on your organization's OWL software edition and the permissions assigned to your user account. You may not see every feature described in this article. See this article on the Features and Modules by Software Edition for more information.

The OWL Header and Main Navigation

The primary navigation for OWL is located in the header at the top of the platform.

Depending on your organization's configuration and your individual permissions, the header provides access to modules such as search and analysis tools, Case Management, Collaboration, Administration, and other OWL features.

Many menus contain additional options. Hover over or select a menu item to see the features available beneath it.

For example, instructions throughout the Knowledge Base may use navigation paths such as:

Case Management → Cases → View-Edit

This means:

1. Open or hover over Case Management.
2. Hover over Cases.
3. Select View-Edit.

Knowledge Base articles frequently use this abbreviated format when describing how to reach a page.

Why Your Menus May Look Different

OWL access is configurable. The modules available to your organization depend on its software edition, and administrators can further control which modules and search-result views individual users can access.

If an article references a menu, module, or view you cannot see, this does not necessarily indicate a problem with the platform. Your account may not have access to that feature.

See this article on the Features and Modules by Software Edition for more information.

Records

A record is an item of information created, stored, or managed within OWL.

Depending on the modules available to your organization, records may include items such as:

• Cases
• Subjects
• Forms
• Reports
• Tips
• Documents
• Other module-specific record types

You will see the word record used broadly throughout the Knowledge Base when an instruction applies to more than one type of item.

For example, an instruction may say to "select the record's Action Menu" rather than naming a Case, Subject, or another specific record type.

Records can also be associated with one another. A Subject, for example, can be linked to a Case and subsequently displayed as part of that Case.

Parent and Child Records

Some records in OWL can contain or be associated with other records.

Throughout the Knowledge Base, you may see these described as parent and child records.

A parent record is the higher-level record that related information is associated with. A child record is a record attached or linked to that parent.

A Case is a common example of a parent record. Depending on the available modules and permissions, a Case may contain child records such as Subjects, Forms, Information Sharing records, Tips, or documents.

Thinking in terms of parent and child records can make navigating OWL easier: when viewing a parent record's Dossier, you are generally looking at both the primary record and the information associated with it.

See this article about Subject Relationships for an examples of this type of record relationship.

View-Edit Pages

A View-Edit page is generally the management or listing page for a type of record.

For example:

Case Management → Cases → View-Edit

opens the page containing Cases available to the user.

These pages commonly provide:

• A list or table of records
• Search and filtering controls
• Record status or other summary information
• Selection controls
• An Action Menu for individual records
• Bulk actions, where supported

Think of a View-Edit page as the place to find and manage records, rather than the page used to review all of the information belonging to one specific record.

To examine an individual record in greater detail, you will often open its Dossier.

Dossiers

A Dossier is the detailed view of an individual record.

Rather than displaying only the fields used to identify a record in a list, the Dossier brings together the information belonging to or associated with that record.

For example, a Case Dossier can display the Case information along with child records and other information attached to that Case.

You may encounter Dossiers for different record types throughout OWL. Although the exact content varies by record type and configuration, the purpose is similar: the Dossier serves as the consolidated view of that record.

A common workflow is:

View-Edit page → Action Menu → View Dossier

Dossier Sections

Information within a Dossier is organized into sections.

A section groups related information together so that a potentially large record can be reviewed more easily. Depending on the record type, a section may contain record details, associated records, search information, documents, or other related data.

Sections may be expanded, collapsed, selected, or navigated depending on the Dossier and the information available.

Dossier "Pills"

Throughout OWL Dossiers, you may also see compact, pill-shaped interface elements containing a label, value, category, status, or other piece of information. These are commonly referred to as pills.

When a Knowledge Base article refers to a pill, it is referring to this UI element, not to a separate type of OWL record.

Pills are intended to make important attributes or related information easy to identify without opening another full page.

See this article about Managing Subjects for more information about record dossiers.

Action Menus

The Action Menu is one of the most common controls in OWL.

On record lists and other tables, the Action Menu provides the actions that can be performed on a specific item.

The exact options depend on:

• The type of record
• The page you are viewing
• Your permissions
• The modules enabled for your organization
• The current status of the record

For example, an Action Menu may contain options to:

• View a Dossier
• Edit a record
• Add or link a record
• Launch Data Visualization
• Download information
• Delete or remove an item
• Perform other record-specific actions

When a Knowledge Base article says:

"Click the Action Menu for the desired record…"

look for the action control associated with that specific row or item.

Because Action Menus are contextual, two records on different pages may have very different available actions.

Common Icons and Controls

OWL uses several recurring visual controls. Their exact appearance may vary slightly depending on the page.

Pencil / Edit

A pencil icon generally indicates that information can be edited.

Selecting it may make the current information editable or open an editing interface.

Plus (+)

A plus icon generally indicates that additional information can be added or that a container can be expanded.

Always consider the surrounding context. For example, a plus control next to a group may expand its contents, while an Add or + Add control may create or associate another item.

vs.

Checkboxes

Checkboxes allow you to select one or more records.

Selecting multiple records may enable a bulk action, allowing the same operation to be performed against several records at once.

Search and Filters

Many record lists include filters above or alongside the results.

Filters narrow the records currently displayed and do not necessarily perform a new external data search.

For example, a View-Edit page might allow you to filter existing records by name, status, department, date, or another attribute.

This is different from performing a Data Query, which searches configured data sources.

Data Queries and Searches

A Data Query is a search performed against one or more data sources available through OWL.

Data Queries should not be confused with the search/filter controls found on record-management pages.

A useful distinction is:

Filter/Search field on a page
Narrows or locates records already available on that page.

Data Query
Performs an investigative search against available data sources.

Data Query results can then be explored through multiple visualization and analysis views.

Searches may also be associated with Subjects or Cases so that the resulting information becomes part of the larger investigative record.

See this article about Data Query for more information.

Launching a Record or Search

Throughout the platform and Knowledge Base, you may encounter the term Launch.

Launching generally means opening associated search information in OWL's analysis environment.

For example, launching Case Data Visualization opens the Data Queries associated with that Case and allows the resulting information to be explored using the available analysis views.

Launching is therefore different from simply viewing the Case Dossier:

View Dossier → Review the Case record and its associated information.

Launch Data Visualization → Analyze the data returned by searches associated with the Case.

Views

Search results in OWL can be presented through different Views.

A View changes how the same underlying result information is organized or visualized. Available Views depend on your organization's software edition and your individual View Access.

Common views include:

• Link Analysis
• Tabular View
• Geospatial View
• Relationship Matrix

Not every View is appropriate for every question. Switching Views allows you to examine the same search information from different analytical perspectives.

For example, Tabular View may be useful when reviewing individual result fields, while Link Analysis can make relationships between entities easier to identify.

See this article about Query Results for more information.

Link Analysis: Nodes and Relationships

Link Analysis visually represents entities and the connections between them.

Nodes

An individual object displayed in Link Analysis is called a Node.

A Node represents an entity or piece of information in the visualization. Depending on the data returned by the search, a Node might represent something such as a person, address, phone number, email address, organization, vehicle, or another identifiable entity.

When a Knowledge Base article instructs you to select, expand, move, or otherwise interact with a Node, it is referring to one of these objects within the Link Analysis visualization.

Relationships / Links

Connections between Nodes represent relationships or links.

These connections allow users to visually identify how information in the search results is related.

For example, multiple person Nodes may connect to the same address or phone number Node, making a shared relationship easier to identify than it might be when reviewing records individually.

The important distinction is:

Node = an object/entity

Link or Relationship = the connection between objects

Modules

A Module is a functional area or capability within the OWL Intelligence Platform.

Examples can include Case Management, Collaboration, OWLdocs, OWLimport, Notifications, Monitoring, and other platform capabilities. Most of these are visible in the top navigation header.

Modules should not be confused with Views.

Module = a feature or functional area of OWL.

View = a way of displaying and analyzing Data Query results.

Organizations receive access to modules based on their OWL software edition, and administrators can control access for individual users.

OWLdocs

OWLdocs is OWL's Records Management System (RMS) for files and documents.

Files stored through OWLdocs are treated as governed records and can include metadata, access restrictions, retention controls, audit information, and other governance requirements based on the organization's configuration.

OWLdocs records can also be associated with Cases, Subjects, and other applicable OWL records.

See this article about OWLdocs for more information.

Cases and Subjects

Two terms you will encounter frequently in Case Management are Case and Subject.

Case

A Case is a record used to organize information associated with an investigation, matter, or other body of work.

Cases can bring together Subjects, searches, documents, Forms, shared information, and other related records depending on the organization's configuration.

Subject

A Subject is a record representing a person or other subject being tracked or investigated within Case Management.

Subjects can be associated with Cases and can have Data Queries and other information associated with them.

A Subject record should not be confused with a Node in Link Analysis.

• A Subject is a persistent Case Management record.
• A Node is an object displayed within an analytical visualization.

A Subject may ultimately be represented by one or more pieces of information in a visualization, but the two terms describe different concepts.

Associated, Attached, and Linked

The Knowledge Base frequently describes records as associated, attached, or linked.

In general, these terms indicate that two pieces of information have been connected within OWL.

For example:

• A Subject can be linked to a Case.
• A document can be attached to a Case.
• A Data Query can be associated with a Case or Subject.

The exact behavior depends on the type of record, but the common idea is that the records retain their own information while OWL maintains a relationship between them.

Access Rights, Roles, Departments, and Permissions

What you can see and do in OWL is determined by several layers of configuration performed by administrators.

Software Edition

Determines which modules and features are available to the organization.

Module Access

Determines which available OWL modules a user can access.

Role

Defines a user's organizational role and can affect the functionality and records available to that user.

Department / Team

Associates users with an organizational group and can affect record access, supervision, collaboration, and administrative responsibilities.

Access Rights

Control access to information based on the organization's configuration and the user's assigned access level.

As a result, two users within the same OWL organization may see different menus, records, actions, or search-result Views.

When following a Knowledge Base article, keep your permissions in mind if your screen does not exactly match an example.

Collaboration

Collaboration refers to OWL functionality that allows information to be shared with other authorized users, departments, or external partners.

Collaboration settings can affect who can see records created by other users and what they can do with those records.

Depending on the organization's configuration, collaboration can occur within a department, across departments, organization-wide, with specific users or roles, or with approved external collaborators.

See this article about Collaboration for more information.

Common Navigation Pattern: Find → Open → Review → Analyze

Although workflows vary by module, a useful way to understand OWL navigation is:

1. Find the record

Navigate to the appropriate module and use its View-Edit or record-management page to locate the Case, Subject, document, or other record you need.

2. Open the available actions

Use the record's Action Menu to see what can be done with it.

3. Review the record

Open its Dossier when you need the detailed record and associated information.

4. Analyze associated data

If the record contains Data Queries, use Launch or the appropriate Data Visualization action to open the search results.

5. Choose the appropriate View

Use Link Analysis, Tabular, Geospatial, Timeline, or another available View depending on how you want to examine the information.

Understanding this pattern makes many of the more specific workflows documented throughout the Knowledge Base easier to follow.

Quick Terminology Reference

Where to Go Next

Once you are familiar with these terms, use the OWL Knowledge Base to learn the individual workflows available within each module.

A good next step is to identify the feature you are trying to use, such as Data Queries, Link Analysis, Case Management, OWLdocs, or Collaboration, and open the corresponding Knowledge Base section for detailed instructions.

Remember that OWL is permission- and configuration-driven. Screenshots and options shown in the Knowledge Base may include features that are not enabled for your organization or user account.