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Troubleshooting stuck documents with residual parent-child dependencies
Who is this article for?
Users responsible for managing documents.
Administrator permissions are required to resolve the issue.
When a document becomes stuck and cannot be edited or verified after removing dependencies, residual parent-child links in the database may be preventing the document from processing correctly.
This article explains how to identify and resolve the issue.
Issue
Documents with parent-child dependencies can become stuck when the dependency links are not fully removed at the database level. Even after removing dependencies through the user interface, the system may continue to treat the document as if it still has active parent-child relationships.
This issue typically presents with the following symptoms:
- Document cannot be edited
- Document cannot be verified up to date
- Assigned user cannot process the document
- Error messages appear when attempting any action on the document
Note
This issue occurs because the ParentDocId and ParentDocRevision values remain in the database even after dependencies appear to be removed through the interface.
Troubleshooting
To identify documents impacted by residual dependencies:
- Record the document ID of the affected (parent) document
- Contact Ideagen Support with the document ID and a clear description of the issue
- Request that Cloud Operations run a query to identify all child documents still linked to the parent
The support team will execute a SQL query against the DM_DocumentRevision table to identify records that still reference the parent document.
Below is an example query used by Cloud Operations:
SELECT *FROM DM_DocumentRevisionWHERE DocId = <ParentDocID>
This helps identify document revisions that still contain references to the parent document.
Important
Hosted environments - This query can only be executed by Ideagen Cloud Operations.
Non-hosted environments - Queries should only be executed by a qualified DBA with full understanding of the database schema to avoid data corruption.
Resolution
To resolve the issue:
- Provide explicit approval to Ideagen Support to proceed with the update
- Allow Cloud Operations to execute the required database update
- Wait for confirmation that the update has been completed successfully
The Cloud Operations team will update the affected records to remove all residual parent-child relationships.
Below is an example query used by Cloud Operations:
UPDATE DM_DocumentRevision
SET ParentDocId = -1,
ParentDocRevision = -1
WHERE DocId = <ChildDocID>
This update clears the parent linkage from the affected child document records, allowing normal processing to resume.
Important
Hosted environments - This update must only be performed by Ideagen Cloud Operations.
Non-hosted environments - Direct database updates must be carefully validated and tested before execution. Improper updates can lead to data inconsistency.
To verify that the issue has been resolved:
- Navigate to the Documents module.
- Locate the previously stuck document using its document ID.
- Attempt to open the document properties.
- Try to edit or verify the document up to date.
- Confirm that no error messages appear.
If the document still cannot be processed after the dependencies have been removed, contact Ideagen Support immediately with details of any error messages that appear.
Prevention
To minimise the risk of documents becoming stuck due to dependencies:
- Remove parent-child dependencies before attempting to edit or process documents.
- Verify that dependencies have been fully removed by checking the document properties.
- Contact support immediately if a document becomes stuck after dependency removal.
- Keep your system updated to the latest version, as dependency-related issues are addressed in ongoing releases.
Note
The 2025.5.0.0 release specifically addressed an issue where dependency documents remained in the inbox after parent document approval or review.