# Configuring Multi-Site Document Distribution (Clinical Operations)



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      <p><strong>Note</strong>: The features described on this page are no longer available for new implementations and will be deprecated in the 27R3 release.  <a href="/en/gr/64233/">Veeva Site Connect</a> provides similar functionality, enabling sponsors and CROs on Clinical Operations Vaults to securely exchange documents, document requests, and data with sites on SiteVault Vaults.</p>
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Multi-site document distributions (MSDD) allow sponsors to send documents, for example, safety documents or protocol amendments, to a selection of sites participating in a clinical trial. You must first configure a document distribution workflow and then create the distribution user action for sponsors to use multi-site distributions.

## Creating the Document Distribution Workflow

Workflow creation and management for multi-site distribution works in the same way as for standard workflows. See <a href="/en/gr/5213/">Creating & Editing Document Workflows</a> and <a href="/en/gr/2453/">Configuring Document Workflow Steps</a> for detailed instructions on general workflow creation.

To set up a Multi-Site Document Distribution workflow, create a new workflow and set the **Workflow Type** field in _Workflow Details_ to **Document Distribution**. See [configuration limitations][3] below.

### Document Distribution Workflow Configuration Limitations {#limitations}

The following limitations affect document distribution workflows:

  * Workflow step types that modify document metadata are not available for document distribution workflows.
  * Workflow start steps are limited to one user control and one date control.
  * For the workflow date control, you must select the _Set Workflow Date_ attribute option in order to set a due date in the _Multi-Site Distribution Wizard_.
  * Document distribution workflows should only include _Start_ and _End_ steps with one _Workflow Task_ step.

## Configuring the Distribution User Action

After you've configured your document distribution workflow, you can <a href="/en/gr/12339/#create">create the associated user action</a> for a given lifecycle state in the lifecycle to which you added the workflow. Usually, this would be an _Approved_ state, as you don't want to distribute your draft content to all of your sites. To create your user action:

  1. Navigate to **Document Lifecycles > [Lifecycle] > States > Approved > User Actions**.
  2. Click **Edit**.
  3. Leave **Condition** set to _Always_.
  4. Under **Allow the following actions**, select _Multi-Site Distribution_.
  5. Select your document distribution workflow from the picklist.
  6. Enter an **Action Label**, which will appear in the **Actions** menu. We recommend labeling the action "Distribute to Sites".
  7. Click **Save**.

## Distribution Task Object

For multi-site document distribution, Vault includes the _Distribution Task_ object and its child object, _Distribution Task Recipient_. After a distribution, Vault automatically creates one _Distribution Task_ object record for each <a href="/en/gr/455/#everyAny">**Any User** workflow task</a> sent to each study site, and one _Distribution Task Recipient_ object record for each individual workflow recipient at each site. In order for users to work with or drill down into these objects, you must configure the _Distribution Task_ object to <a href="/en/gr/15057/#customizestandardobjects">display in Business Admin</a> or a <a href="/en/gr/23516/">custom tab</a>.

### Configuring Reports with the Distribution Task Object

You can configure a report type in your Vault to report on the status of document distributions. Sponsors can use a _Distribution with Activity and Recipients_ report with various prompts to track distributions by document version, study site, and more. Note that users will need visibility to the _Activity_ object.

To configure this report type, use _Distribution Task_ as the **Primary Reporting Object**, and add _Activity_ and _Distribution Task Recipients_ as **Related Objects**.


 [3]: #limitations