Who is this article for?

Users responsible for managing Documents.

Document Manager and Edit Security permissions are required.

As processes and procedures evolve, so does the Documentation that supports them. Document Managers can modify Documents by creating new revisions that reflect up to date information.

This article outlines the different actions you can take when editing a Document. 

1. Editing a Document

Updating a Document requires it to be placed in Edit.

This allows the Editor to make any necessary revisions, release for review to gather additional feedback, cancel revision if an edit is not necessary, release for approval to validate the changes are acceptable, and publish the Document.

You can see the full process in our overview of the Document Control lifecycle.

There are three ways a Document can be placed in this status:

• Manual, by selecting Edit when viewing the Document.
• Expiration, when the set expiration flag is triggered on the Document.
• Controlled Document, as they are added to the system in Edit until the Editor releases it for Approval.

Any time a user attempts to view a Document while it's in Edit, the system opens the last published revision by default.

2. Checking out a Document

To maintain accurate version control, the system the Editor check out a copy of a Document to their computer before making changes, and check in the new revision before releasing for Approval or Review.

This prevents other users from checking in new versions during Edit and keeps the original Editor from releasing a Document without checking in the revised version.

To check out a Document:

1. Access the Documents module.
2. Open the Document from the Document Tree.
3. Click Edit.
   This will open the Edit Document screen.

4. Change Editor if needed.
5. Enter an Edit Reason.
6. Click Check Out.
   This will take you to the Download page. If you have the Automatic File Transfer (AFT) tool installed, the file download will begin automatically.

You can now make edits to the Document and check it back in when ready.

3. Checking in a Document

To check in a Document:

1. Access the Documents module.
2. Open the Document from the Document Tree.
3. Select Check In.

4. Select Browse or drag and drop the Document in the window.
   If using AFT, the Document begins uploading and, when complete, your checked-in revision opens. 

You can now continue processing the Document.

4. Verifying a Document

When Documents go into Edit because of their Expiration settings, you can either create a new revision using the steps outlined above or verify that the current revision is still up to date.

To verify a Document:

1. Access the Documents module.
2. Open the Document from the Document Tree.
3. Click Verify Up to Date.
   This will open the Verify Up to Date screen.

4. Enter clarifying Comments.
5. Click Verify Up to Date.

This will revert the Document to its last published revision.

5. Replacing a Document

This feature allows you to check in a new revision of a Document without editing the old one.

You must be the Document's Editor and it cannot be in Review or Approval status to perform the replacement.

To replace a Document:

1. Access the Documents module.
2. Open the Document from the Document Tree.
3. Click Replace.

4. Change Editor if needed.
5. Enter an Edit Reason.
6. Click Choose File to find the replacement.
7. Click Replace.

The new Document replaces the old and is now in Edit.