Document management features in Quickr

In the previous section we described the document management capabilities with DDM. Now we discuss the document management capabilities provided by Lotus Quickr to compare the functionality and highlight key considerations between the two products.

Versioning

Versioning in Lotus Quickr works differently from DDM. Quickr allows for both versions and drafts, but a draft is automatically removed after it has been upgraded to a version. It is not possible to store multiple intermediate draft versions before going to the next version. When a user saves a document as a draft in Quickr, the document is only accessible and visible to that particular user. It is not possible to authorize other users to view or edit a draft. An administrator can determine per document type how check-in influences the document versioning. For instance a Quickr Form can be set as follows:

򐂰 Never allow versioning

򐂰 Allow versioning (user has the option of creating new versions or performing in place edits)

򐂰 Enforce versioning (a new version is automatically created each time the file is checked in).

Check in and check out

Check-in and check-out in Quickr works similar to DDM. A document is locked for editing to all users except the user that checked out the document.

Quickr provides the ability to create replicated environments over multiple clustered servers. No mechanism exists to ensure that two users on two different servers do not check out the same document. This could potentially result in save or replication conflicts or data being overwritten. If the DDM environment used the multi-server checkout functions, you might consider server consolidation or slightly modifying business rules as appropriate to accommodate the rules and functionality of Quickr (for example, placing reference or read-only copies of documents in one folder and editable copies in another).

Life cycle management

Like with DDM, you configure the built-in Quickr workflow and approval capabilities on a form-by-form basis. However, with Quickr, users do not have the ability to change workflow settings on a per document base.

The approval workflow allows you to specify up to four names of approvers. It is not dynamic, which means that you need to change the Quickr Form to change the workflow. An

advantage, on the other hand, is that you do not need developer knowledge to change these settings. It can easily be done by a place manager or owner.

Table 7-5 Workflows supported in Quickr

Document naming

In Lotus Quickr, you have the ability to view a list of your content either from the Web user interface or from the Quickr connectors (for example, Windows Explorer or a sidebar in your Notes client). Remember that in Quickr, every file is attached to a page. A page has a name, independent of the name of the attached file. And a page can have more than one file attached to it.

In the Quickr Web user interface, you see page names. You have to navigate to a page to see the actual files names of any attached files.

The Quickr connectors are file-oriented, rather than page-oriented. When you look at a Quickr Place through the connectors, you see the folder hierarchy with actual file names beneath the folder names. In the case where a page has more than one attached file, the page appears as a folder with the attached files beneath it.

Metadata

You can use a Quickr Form to specify custom data fields that become associated with the page and the attached files. Three types of forms are available:

򐂰 Simple Form

Create a form using standard Quickr fields such as plain or rich text, attachments, date pop-up, task information, and so forth.

򐂰 Microsoft Office Form

Use a Microsoft Word, Excel®, or PowerPoint document as a template for new content.

򐂰 Imported HTML Form

Create a form using your own HTML.

Workflow Description

Simple submit workflow When you use the Simple submit option, the author has only one publication option: he or she can publish the content (by clicking a button with a name you specify) or cancel its publication (by clicking Cancel). The content appears in a folder you specify. Use this option when you do not want content created with the form to undergo review. When you do not want members who use the form to have the option of saving content in draft mode; and when you want the ability to rename the button members use to publish. Editor-in-chief workflow Use this workflow if you want a particular member to review each

item created with the form

Approval workflow Use this workflow if you want more than one member to review each item created with the form. You set up the order in which the reviewers review the content.

Multiple editors workflow Use this workflow to grant all members who have author privileges in the current place/room the ability to edit each item created with the form.

No special workflow Choose this workflow if you want to allow members who create content with the form to publish immediately (in either final or draft form) without approval from any other member in your

Chapter 7. Hierarchical and structural considerations between Domino Document Manager and Quickr 113

Simple Form is the easiest but also gives the least functionality. Place managers or owners can easily create simple forms themselves. Capabilities that you might have in DDM that are not possible with simple forms include dynamic choice lists or name selection lists.

Microsoft Office Forms can be handy if you already have forms in an external format (for example, Word, Excel, and so forth). Take, for instance, an organization that has some standard forms based on Word documents that each new employee needs to fill out. You can create a named Microsoft Office Form in Quickr for each of your existing standard Word forms. Each time a user creates a document in Quickr based on one of these forms, the user is presented with a blank version of the Word form to fill in. This option is handy if your organization already has a lot of stand-alone forms and does not have developer capacity. Imported HTML forms are the most complex to build because you would need to know HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to benefit from all the options available. With HTML forms, you have significant flexibility in what you can create, including lookups from external data sources and name list selections (both of which are often used in DDM applications). When adding documents through the connectors, you are not able to chose an imported HTML form. Comparison of document management features can be reviewed in Table 7-6.

Table 7-6 Comparison of the document management features between DDM and Lotus Quickr

DDM Quickr

Versioning Supports major and minor versions (including multiple shared drafts). As you plan your migration, make sure you give careful consideration to your business requirements around major and minor versions.

Supports major versions and a single active draft accessible by a single author.

Note: Migration Tool will import all DDM drafts as Quickr versions.

Check-in / check-out Functionally similar in both products. Centralized management in distributed environments to avoid conflicts.

Functionally similar in both products. No centralized management in replicated environments so conflicts are possible and need to be managed.

Review / Approval 򐂰 Supports both serial and parallel workflow.

򐂰 No limit on maximum # of approvers.

򐂰 Approver list can be programmatically generated.

򐂰 Approval settings can be specified at the document level.

򐂰 Can specify time limits and reminders.

򐂰 Requires expertise to build workflow.

򐂰 Supports only serial workflow.

򐂰 Maximum of 4 approvers.

򐂰 Approver list must be specified (“hard coded”) in the form associated with the document.

򐂰 Approval settings can be specified only in the form.

򐂰 No time limits and reminder support.

򐂰 Workflow forms can by created by users / place managers without programming skills.

Document naming 򐂰 Always uses the document name (not the file name).

򐂰 A document with more than one file attachment does not appear in the desktop enablers, only in Web user interface and the Notes client.

򐂰 Uses the page name in the Web UI and the name of the attached file in the connectors.

򐂰 If more than one file attached to a page, connectors show the page as a folder and the file names beneath it.

Metadata 򐂰 Comparable function available.

򐂰 Domino Developers can create forms with complex metadata logic.

򐂰 Comparable function available

򐂰 users can create forms that provide simple metadata prompting.

򐂰 Skills in HTML, CSS, and Javascript to develop forms with complex metadata logic.

Other features

Aside from the standard document management functionality and advanced security, DDM provides a set of useful features that make it best-of-breed among document management solutions. Lotus Quickr is also equipped with several advanced features, making this collaboration product user-friendly and easy to customize.

Both products give users ability to search for resources, work off-line and archive data that is no longer used. Both can be integrated with other systems and both can be accessed through several interfaces, including native Windows applications, Web user interfaces, and APIs. In this section we describe key features of both products and explain which Quickr features match DDM features and which features will be missing after switching to Quickr.