Saving Emails and Sharing Documents via Email

Email has replaced many standard modes of office communication and has become the courier for most business documents but it is seldom managed like other forms of corporate records.

Managing email with the FileHold document management software is simple and secure. Users can save entire emails, including attachments (or save just the attachment without the email) to the document management system by simply invoking the  "Send to FileHold" command in the Add-Ins section of Outlook. 

Users can conversely send files via Outlook email to others from the document management system. The documents can be sent as links and/or attachments. The links can be customized to be either the FileHold Desktop Application URL or the URL from the Web Client.

Saving Email to the Document Management System

Users may save an email to the document management system using drag and drop or by using the "Send to FileHold" command in Outlook. The command is located in the file menu of Outlook 2003 and in the Add-In tab of Outlook 2007.

Dragging and dropping allows the user to move more than one email at a time into the document management system Inbox for processing.

Emails are saved in the system as  .msg files and open in their Outlook format - including attachments.

• Select email(s)
• Drag and Drop to Inbox

                      or

• Select email
• Choose "Send to FileHold" > "Add Document"
• Fill in Metadata and location
  • If appropriate containers do not exist, users can create the cabinet, drawer, folder location in the pop-up dialog box. This is done by right clicking and adding the object just as you would normally.
• Save

Sending the Attachment Only

Emails saved to the document management system are saved in their entirety (including attachments). However, it is possible to save just the attachment  to the system without the email.

If attachments are saved to the system without the email they will simply store in their native format.

• Select Attachment
• Right Click > Add to FileHold
• Fill in metadata and location
• Click Add

Outlook Add-Ins FileHold Commands

• Select and open the email you wish to move to the document management system
  
• Select the Add-Ins tab from the top
  
• Select either the Add Document icon or Send to FileHold > Add Document
  
• Browse to the location in FileHold where the email will be filed
  

• Fill in the schema and metadata required information 
  
• check any of the Add Documents Options as needed
  
• Click Add
  

Drag and Drop

Drag and drop allows a user to move multiple emails from Outlook to the document management system FDA.

• Select the email(s) that are to be moved to the document management system
  
• Drag and Drop to the FDA
  
• Emails will automatically be sent to the Inbox for processing
  

Remember: emails saved to the system can only be accessed by those with appropriate permissions to access the folder in the document management system where the email is saved.

Auto-filing Emails

If the function has been enabled users can also use auto-filing for their emails. In order for auto-filing to work, the FileHold Office Client (FOC) must be installed and auto-filing enabled by the library administrator and associated with the appropriate document schemas.

Users can override auto-filing by choosing a different destination for the document.

Need to know more about Auto-filing?

Sharing Files from the Document Management System via Email

Email also makes sharing easy and efficient but equally important is the security of sensitive information.

When sending files from the document management system to others it is important to send the file in a manner that allows the other user to access the information while keeping sensitive data safe.

There are two ways to send files from the document management system to others.

• Send as an attachment
  
  • Attachments are the most common way of sharing files via email, however they are the least secure as anyone who receives the attachment can open it
    
• Send as a link
  
  • Links are not as common as attachments when sharing documents, however, they are the most secure. Those that do not permission in the document management system to access the file will be unable to open it via the link.
  • Users can send either an FOC or FDA link. The FDA link will be displayed in the metadata and properties pane of the selected document in the FileHold Desktop Application. Using this link allows the recipient to open the file directly from the document management system with the metadata and properties screen already open.

Sending a file from the Document Management System as Part of an Email

Emails sent from FileHold using Outlook will retain the properties of the user's Outlook email messages including signature blocks and other added items like legal disclaimers.

Users can also browse for documents to send via email directly from Outlook. This includes being able to access previous document versions.

• Select the document
  
• Right click or choose one of the email icons from the top toolbar
  
  • The first icon simply mails the document. The second icon checks the document out as well as emailing it.

• Select the method that you would like to use to email the document

• Note: If the Library Administrator can set the permissions to send files as either an attachment or a link or allow the user to decide. If the function is set to allow the user to decide they will be prompted to select. If not the file will automatically be inserted into the email in the format chosen by the Library Administrator.
  
  • See Email and Attachment Options for more information

Remember: Sending a file using the URL is more secure than sending it as an attachment. To access a file via a link the recipient must also have access to the document in the system. Attachments, however, can be opened by anyone who receives them. Users can choose to send a URL instead of an attachment by accessing the metadata and properties of the email and clicking on "Copy URL" . The URL can then be pasted into an email.