Document types allow you to create a hierarchy of the various types of documents stored in your Vault. Each document type can have its own fields, and Vault uses the hierarchy to determine how fields are inherited from one type to another. In addition to fields, other settings are specified according to the document type hierarchy, including some document security settings, available lifecycles, rendition types, and default search filters.
Accessing Document Types
Access the Document Types page from Admin > Configuration > Document Types. You must have a security profile that grants Document Types permissions to configure these.
Expandable Tree View
The document types, subtypes, and classifications appear in an expandable tree view. Click the triangles to expand an item and see its child items. The Expand All link makes all types, subtypes, and classifications visible. Collapse All hides all child items and shows only Base Document.
Actions Menu
Hover over any item in the tree view to see the Actions menu. This menu allows you to perform various actions on the selected document type, including Inactivate, Delete, and Edit Details.
How to Create Document Types
To create a new document type:
- Click on a type from the tree and select Add Child or Add Sibling from the Actions menu.
- The new document type appears in the tree with a placeholder label, for example, New Subtype.
- Enter the label for the new type and click Save.
- Edit settings for the new document type by selecting Edit Details from the Actions menu.
How to Edit Document Types
To edit a document type:
- Click on a document type, subtype, or classification from the tree.
- Select Edit Details from the Actions menu.
- In the Edit Details dialog, make the necessary changes on the General and Security tabs.
- Click Save when finished.
Document Type Settings at All Levels
The settings displayed in the Edit Details dialog are different for each level in the document type hierarchy. The standard settings are as follows:
| Attribute | Description |
| Label | Label that appears in the application, including in Add Content and search filters |
| Name | Name (public key) used to reference the document type through the API, Vault Loader, and various other features; appears beside the label in the hierarchical tree view |
| Status | Determines whether document type is available for use |
| Description | Optional: Enter a suggested use for this document type. When classifying documents and attempting to find a suitable document type, users can search on this description using the document type selector. Document types do not inherit descriptions from their parent type. This field has a 500-character limit. |
| Document Number Format | Generates a unique number to identify the document. |
| Document Name Format | Defines the format used to automatically generate a user-editable name value for the document. |
| Available Lifecycles | One or more lifecycles that are available for documents of this type. You can set this field at any level in the document type hierarchy and override it at any child level. |
| Rendition Types | One or more rendition types that are available for the document type. Viewable Rendition is required. |
| Relationship Types | One or more document relationships that are available for documents of this type. |
| Document Type Group | Select one or more records from the Document Type Group object. You can set this field at any level in the document type hierarchy and override it at any child level. This serves to group together various document types, which can make it easier to set up DAC for documents. |
| Binder Thumbnail Options | Display Binder Thumbnails shows an image from the first document in the binder hierarchy overlaid on the standard binder icon. |
| Binder Display Options: Unbound Documents | Enable the Binder Unbound Document Display Options setting from Admin > Settings > Binder Options. Inherit from "Base Document" inherits its value from the parent level in the document type hierarchy. Latest Version displays the latest version of the document. Latest Viewable Version displays the latest version that the viewer can access. Latest Steady State Version displays the most recent steady state version of the document. Selecting an option other than Latest Version will hide the search bar in the binder's outline view. |
| Attachments | Allow Attachments allows users to upload and associate related files to a document. You can allow attachments at the base document level or enable/disable attachments on individual document types. Once enabled, a new Attachments section becomes available in the Doc Info page for users to attach files. |
| Create Document Permission | Determines which users and groups are allowed to create documents of this type |
| Create Binder Permission | Determines which users and groups are allowed to create binders of this type |
| Default Settings for New Documents | Sets default values for the Editor, Viewer, and Consumer roles that will populate the Sharing Settings for newly created documents; the user uploading the document can accept or modify these defaults. |
Document Type Settings at Base Document Level
In addition to the settings available at all levels in the document type hierarchy, these are available for the Base Document level:
| Attribute | Description |
| Filters | Fields to show as filters in the Library for all documents, regardless of document type; to modify these, open the Filters tab. Vault displays the filter fields in the same order as they appear on this tab. Additional filters can be specified at the document type level. Users can edit filters their own default filters from the Library. Once a user has edited filters, changes to the default configuration no longer apply for that user. |
Document Type Settings at Type Level
In addition to the settings available at all levels in the document type hierarchy, these are available for the Document Type level:
| Attribute | Description |
| Filters | Fields to show as filters on the Library page when showing only this document type; to modify these, open the Filters tab. Vault displays the filter fields in the same order as they appear on this tab. All document types inherit the filter settings specified for Base Document. Users can edit their own default filters from the Library. Once a user has edited filters, changes to the default configuration no longer apply for that user. |
How to Relabel Document Types
To relabel a document type:
- Click on a type from the tree and select Rename from the Actions menu.
- Enter the new label and press Enter or click Save. Note that this does not change the name (public key) of the document type.
Note: Relabeling a document type that has a large number of associated documents may take several minutes.
How to Reorder Document Types
Reordering types changes the order in which they display throughout the application. To manually reorder document types, drag the item within the document type tree. A horizontal line displays at the currently selected insertion point. You can also choose Sort children (A-Z) from the Actions menu for any type with children.
How to Activate & Inactivate Document Types
Activating and inactivating document types affects whether the types are available to users throughout the application. For example, users cannot select an inactivated document type when adding content. Inactivating a document type does not affect existing documents of that type. To activate or inactivate a document type:
- From the Document Types page, click to select a document type, subtype, or classification.
- Select Activate or Inactivate from the Actions menu.
- Inactivated types are greyed out in the document type tree.
When you activate or inactivate a document type, Vault updates the Enabled field on the corresponding Doc Type Detail object record. The Enabled field is set to True for active document types, and False for inactive types. When configuring controlled document templates, you can create a reference constraint on the Template Document Type shared field using the Enabled field to display only active document types.
How to Delete Document Types
You cannot delete document types that are currently “in use,” meaning that a document exists for that type, subtype, or classification. Deleting a document type also deletes its children and any fields defined for the document type or its children. To delete:
- From the Document Types page, click to select a document type, subtype, or classification.
- Select Delete from the Actions menu.
- Click Continue in the confirmation dialog.
Note that you cannot delete a document type, subtype, or classification if it is used in a report filter.
About Lifecycle Inheritance
When you select a lifecycle for base document, a document type, or a subtype, all child levels inherit that lifecycle. You can change which lifecycle is selected at any level. When you do so, any children of the edited type or subtype will now inherit the new lifecycle value. For example:
- Base Document: General Lifecycle (selected)
- Document Type: General Lifecycle (inherited)
- Subtype: Specialized Lifecycle (override)
- Classification 1: Specialized Lifecycle (inherited)
- Classification 2: General Lifecycle (override)
- Subtype: Specialized Lifecycle (override)
- Document Type: General Lifecycle (inherited)
If you delete an override, Vault automatically repopulates the Lifecycle field with the inherited value. However, changing the selected lifecycle at a parent level does not remove overrides that you or another user has set at any child level.
Additional Document Type Settings for Clinical Operations
In Clinical Operations Vaults, an additional Type Defaults tab appears in the document type details dialog. From here, you can update a variety of settings that are specific to Clinical Operations Vaults:
- Process Name: This setting provides a default value for the Process Name field on documents and supports the Document Packages feature.
- Department: This setting provides a default value for the Department field on documents.
- Milestone Type: This setting provides a default value for the Milestone Type field on documents.
- Reference Models: For each reference model (Model object) that exists in your Vault, you can define a specific Artifact. This setting is editable at any level. For TMF RM models, it should be applied at the classification level. For Vault Clinical Docs model, any level is valid.
- Default Workflows: This setting determines the document type’s default workflows, which supports the Document Package feature.