Version control and version history

FileHold software retains a unique and complete copy of each version of each document as it is checked out and back into the Library. When a document is checked in and changes have been made, FileHold automatically creates a new complete unadulterated version in the repository. Document versions are simply numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. You can create your own numbering system with document control and version control numbers.

When viewing a list of documents (folder view, search view), only the most recent version of the document is displayed. The 'Ver' column shows the number of versions of a given document. You can view previous versions of a file through the version history.

When document is added to the library, it starts as version 1 and is "owned" by the person who added a document. As the document is checked out and checked back in, that number increases by 1 and the "owner" of the version changes to the person who has checked the document in. For example, Paul added a file to the document management system. That file starts as version 1 and is owned by Paul. Sally has access to the file and decides to check out the file in order to modify it with the latest report information. Sally checks the file back into the system. That file is now at version 2 and is owned by Sally.

Users can be restricted from viewing all versions except the most recently approved version. For details, see Hiding Documents until Approved in the Workflow for more information.

Viewing previous versions of a document

To view previous versions of a document, select a document and click on the number of versions link in the Ver column. The "History of Document Versions for Document Name" window opens with the list of the previous versions of the document shown.

You can get a copy, delete, or email older versions of documents. You cannot check out, check out and email, or link older versions of documents. In order to work with an older version of a document, you can reinstate it as the current version (see below) or download a copy and upload it into the document management system as a new document.

To go back to the folder list, click Back to Folder.

Version history

Deleting older versions of a document

Library Administrators or document owners that have Document Publisher + Delete access to the document management system are able to delete previous versions of files. Document owners may only delete the previous version of a document whereas Library Administrators can delete any version(s) of the file in the document management system. This means that the versions shown in the version history list are the ones that have not been explicitly deleted.

If a version of a document is deleted, that version number is not be seen in the version history. When a new version is checked in, the deleted version number is not overwritten. For example, version 1, 2, and 3 are showing in the version history and an administrator deletes version 3. The next version that is checked in is version 4 so version 1, 2, and 4 appears in the version history.

To delete a previous version of a document

  1. View the Version History of a document. Select the version you want to delete and click Delete.
  2. In the Delete Files window, select a deletion option:
  • Delete only the versions of the files I have selected.
  • Delete all versions of each file that I have permission to delete.
  1. Click OK. The version of the document is removed. If you need to recover the document, contact your Library Administrator.

Searching for older versions of a document

For system performance reasons only the most recent version of the document is included in the search scope. However, users can set the advanced search setting to include all versions of documents (most recent and all previous) stored in the document management system in the search scope. More about advanced document search settings.

Reinstate an older version of a document as the latest version

When viewing a list of the previous versions of a document, the user can reinstate any of the previous versions of the document. This allows users to work with older versions of documents such as checking out, initiating a workflow, or linking to other documents.

To reinstate an older version of a document to the latest version

  1. Select a previous version of a document and click Reinstate as Latest Version.
  2. In the Reinstate as Latest Version window, select one of the following options:
  • Yes, reinstate the selected version’s metadata.
  • No, keep current metadata values.
  1. Click OK. The document is reinstated as the latest version. In other words, the version number increases by 1 with the older document as the latest version.

Viewing edits to metadata for older document versions

The document management system logs all edits to metadata made to each version of a document.

To view edits to metadata

  1. To view the metadata edits for a version of a document, select the version(s) from the history of versions list and click Edits to Metadata. A document list opens with a list of who made the metadata change, when it was made and what was changed.
  2. To view the new metadata values, click Show Metadata Edits link in the Metadata Change History view. The metadata panel opens and changed values are shown in bold text.
  3. To return to the version history, click Version History.

Dropdown or drill down metadata values are not shown if they have been deleted from the configuration. This is also true for dropdown menu values that are synchronized with an external database.

Viewing the document usage of document versions

You can view how one or more of a document version has been used. The document management system tracks how a document has been used. For example, if a document has been emailed, checked out, linked, viewed, etc. you can see what functions have been done through the document usage.

To view the usage of a file

  1. In the Version History list, select one or more (using the CTRL or SHIFT keys) document versions and click Usage of File.
  2. The File Usage for Document Name window opens with a list of all of the actions taken upon the document versions, which user performed the action and when the action was performed.
  3. To return to the version history, click Version History.

Using the document version feature, you are only able to see existing document versions. If a document version has been deleted, its usage information is not available from the document version history. The Document Usage Log feature on the administration menu shows all usage of document versions, even ones that have been deleted.

Viewing the sign off sheet

The Sign Off Sheet shows a list of all users that either approved or rejected this version of the document, when they did it and if they signed-off on behalf of someone else.

To view the sign off sheet

  1. In the Version History list, select one or more (using the CTRL or SHIFT keys) document versions and click Sign Off Sheet.
  2. The Sign Off Sheet window opens with a list of all users that have approved or rejected the document.
  3. To return to the version history, click Version History.

Viewing workflow reviews and approvals

The Workflow Reviews and Approvals area, each task for the workflow can be seen. The first level in the workflow shows information about the workflow instance itself. Information includes the type of workflow (the workflow template name), the name and version of the document, who the initiator is, when the workflow started and when it is due and if the workflow resulted in the document being approved or not. To expand the workflow details, click the + sign in the FDA or the > arrow in the Web Client next to the document name. In the task details, the percentage completed, the comments or feedback documents provided by participants, the completion date, the due date, and status (reviewed or approved) is shown.

To view the workflow reviews and approvals

  1. In the Version History list, select one or more (using the CTRL or SHIFT keys) document versions and click Reviews and Approvals.
  2. The Document Review and Approval History window opens with a list of all workflow tasks.
  3. To print the list of reviews and approvals click Print (FDA only). Note: The report is printed exactly how it appears on the screen.
  4. To export the list of reviews and approvals click Export (FDA only). When exporting the report, you can choose to export only the workflow or you can include both the workflows and the tasks. The report can be exported to CSV or HTML. Note that for the HTML report, the workflow must be expanded in the Workflow Status Report results to print the tasks. In other words, the HTML report is exported to look exactly how it appears on the screen.
  5. To return to the version history, click Version History.
  6. To return to the folder, click Back to Folder.
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