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WEB USER GUIDE

D002114 rev 2.0


TRADEMARK NOTICE

Bentley and the "B" Bentley logo are registered or non-registered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. or Bentley
Software, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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© 2010, Bentley Systems, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.


Including software, file formats, and audiovisual displays; may only be used pursuant to applicable software license
agreement; contains confidential and proprietary information of Bentley Systems, Incorporated and/or third parties
which is protected by copyright and trade secret law and may not be provided or otherwise made available without
proper authorization.

RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGENDS

If this software is acquired for or on behalf of the United States of America, its agencies and/or instrumentalities
("U.S. Government"), it is provided with restricted rights. This software and accompanying documentation are
"commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation," respectively, pursuant to 48
C.F.R. 12.212 and 227.7202, and "restricted computer software" pursuant to 48 C.F.R. 52.227-19(a), as applicable.
Use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, display or disclosure of this software and accompanying
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C.F.R. 12.212, 52.227-19, 227.7202, and 1852.227-86, as applicable. Contractor/Manufacturer is Bentley Systems,
Incorporated, 685 Stockton Drive, Exton, PA 19341-0678.

Unpublished - rights reserved under the Copyright Laws of the United States and International treaties.

Bentley Systems, Incorporated


10052 Mesa Ridge Court
San Diego, CA 92121

+1 858 625 3000


+1 858 625 3010 FAX

http://www.bentley.com/eb

eB Insight version 4 Web User Guide


Published by Bentley Systems, Inc.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
Bentley Systems, Inc. The software and/or databases described herein are provided under a license agreement or non-
disclosure agreement. The software and/or databases may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the
agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license or
non-disclosure agreement. The purchaser may make one copy of the software for backup purposes. No part of this
manual and/or databases may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or information recording and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the
purchaser's personal use, without the express permission of Bentley Systems, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, all names of companies, products, street addresses, and persons contained herein are part of a
fictitious scenario or scenarios and are designed solely to document the use of the product.

page ii
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................ 1
Logging on ............................................................................................................................ 1

SECTION 1: DOCUMENT MANAGER


Window Layout .................................................................................. 3
Routine Navigation ................................................................................................................ 5
Data Scope ........................................................................................................................... 6

eB’s Explorer Options ........................................................................ 7


Explorer................................................................................................................................. 7
Documents ............................................................................................................................ 8
Directory................................................................................................................................ 8
Distribution ............................................................................................................................ 9
SharePoint .......................................................................................................................... 10
SharePoint Component View ............................................................................. 10
File Plans ............................................................................................................................ 12
Items ................................................................................................................................... 12
Work Exchange................................................................................................................... 12
Bulk Import/Export............................................................................................................... 13
Import/Update Documents.................................................................................. 13
Import Folders .................................................................................................... 13
Bulk Transaction Administrator........................................................................... 13
Update Preferences for Bulk Transactions ......................................................... 13
My Jobs .............................................................................................................. 13
Publisher ............................................................................................................................ 14
Basket ................................................................................................................................. 17
My eB .................................................................................................................................. 19

Common eB Procedures .................................................................. 21


Viewing a File...................................................................................................................... 21
Viewing Document History .................................................................................................. 21
File Actions.......................................................................................................................... 22
File Transfer ....................................................................................................... 22
File Checkout...................................................................................................... 22
Launching Files .................................................................................................. 23
Rendition ............................................................................................................ 23
Adding Files ........................................................................................................ 24
Editing Document Information ............................................................................................. 25
Making a Copy of a Document............................................................................................ 26
Deleting a Document........................................................................................................... 28
Adding and Deleting Folders............................................................................................... 28
Adding a New Object .......................................................................................................... 29
E-mail .................................................................................................................................. 36
Subscriptions....................................................................................................................... 38
Object compare................................................................................................................... 39
Quicklinks............................................................................................................................ 40
Create Work Order ..............................................................................................................40
eB Reports .......................................................................................................................... 42
User-Defined Reports ......................................................................................... 42

page iii
Objects ............................................................................................................... 48

Searches .......................................................................................... 49
Search result reporting ....................................................................................... 51

Preferences ...................................................................................... 53
Document Distribution......................................................................................................... 54
eB Web ............................................................................................................................... 54
File Options ......................................................................................................................... 54
Filters .................................................................................................................................. 55
Publish Options ................................................................................................................... 55
Search Options ................................................................................................................... 55
System Default.................................................................................................................... 55

SECTION 2: WORK EXCHANGE


Forthcoming........................................................................................................ 57
Inbox ................................................................................................................... 57
Work in progress ................................................................................................ 57
Completed .......................................................................................................... 57
Delegated Work .................................................................................................. 57
Approvals............................................................................................................ 58
Frequent Work Exchange Operations ................................................................................. 58

SECTION 3: CHANGE MANAGEMENT


Change Management in eB Web ..................................................... 63
Declaration that a data object is change-controlled ............................................................ 63
Initiating a change request .................................................................................................. 63
Change Request Tracking .................................................................................................. 65
Change Request Status ...................................................................................................... 66
Change Effects Analysis ..................................................................................................... 67
Implementing a Change Request........................................................................................ 68
Editing a Change Request .................................................................................................. 71
Copying a Change Request ................................................................................................ 71
Deleting a Change Request ................................................................................................ 73

SECTION 4: PHYSICAL ITEM MANAGEMENT


Physical Item Management in eB .................................................... 75
Editing physical items.......................................................................................................... 76
Copying a Physical Item...................................................................................................... 77
Baseline management ........................................................................................................ 78
Item List Management......................................................................................................... 78
Serialized Item List Management........................................................................................ 79
Creating a New Physical Item ............................................................................................. 79

page iv
List of Figures
Figure 1: eB-Web standard login dialog ...................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2: Typical three-pane screen layout ................................................................................................. 3
Figure 3: Content pane fully exposed showing all information about a physical item ................................. 5
Figure 4: Main action button-row ................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 5: Scope selector.............................................................................................................................. 6
Figure 6: Tasks typically available in Explorer when displaying Report results........................................... 8
Figure 7: Example of part of an organization directory................................................................................ 9
Figure 8: Distribution option list ................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 9: SharePoint in the eB Navigator .................................................................................................. 10
Figure 10: SharePoint document in the Content pane .............................................................................. 10
Figure 11: Synchronization behaviors ....................................................................................................... 11
Figure 12: Add to SharePoint dialog.......................................................................................................... 11
Figure 13: Bulk transaction preferences dialog ......................................................................................... 13
Figure 14: Bulk import/export job listing .................................................................................................... 14
Figure 15: Publisher package wizard, step 1............................................................................................. 14
Figure 16: Publisher package wizard, step 2............................................................................................. 15
Figure 17: Publisher package wizard, step 3............................................................................................. 15
Figure 18: Publisher package wizard, step 4............................................................................................. 16
Figure 19: Set of publisher packages ........................................................................................................ 16
Figure 20: Publisher package detail sheet ................................................................................................ 17
Figure 21: Publisher package selector ...................................................................................................... 17
Figure 22: Example of a basket................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 23: Start of the document distribution wizard ................................................................................. 19
Figure 24: Adding a data object to ‘My eB’................................................................................................ 20
Figure 25: Example of document history ................................................................................................... 21
Figure 26: File actions context pop-up ...................................................................................................... 22
Figure 27: The document checkout dialog ................................................................................................ 23
Figure 28: Example of the ‘lock’ icon beside a checked-out document..................................................... 23
Figure 29: Options in the document rendition dialog ................................................................................. 24
Figure 30: Example document detail edit form .......................................................................................... 25
Figure 31: Example document structure edit form..................................................................................... 26
Figure 32: The Copy Document dialog, Options tab ................................................................................. 26
Figure 33: The Copy Document dialog, Relationships tab ........................................................................ 27
Figure 34: The Copy Document dialog, Files & Copies tab....................................................................... 27
Figure 35: Conformation that a document was copied .............................................................................. 28
Figure 36: Document delete warning......................................................................................................... 28
Figure 37: Setup for adding a folder at root............................................................................................... 29
Figure 38: Creating a folder at root............................................................................................................ 29
Figure 39: Example template for a vendor ................................................................................................ 30
Figure 40: Template for new document..................................................................................................... 31
Figure 41: Part of the new data object detail sheet ................................................................................... 32
Figure 42: The document create dialog..................................................................................................... 33
Figure 43: The project create dialog.......................................................................................................... 34
Figure 44: The person create dialog.......................................................................................................... 34
Figure 45: The organization create dialog ................................................................................................. 35
Figure 46: The location create dialog ........................................................................................................ 35
Figure 47: Location object showing child locations ................................................................................... 36
Figure 48: E-mail window at start .............................................................................................................. 37
Figure 49: Example of e-mail recipient list................................................................................................. 38

page v
Figure 50: Subscription options wizard, screen 1...................................................................................... 38
Figure 51: Subscription options wizard, screen 2...................................................................................... 39
Figure 52: Object comparer....................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 53: Quicklink URL generator .......................................................................................................... 40
Figure 54: Work order creator ................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 55: Work order created................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 56: Typical reports menu................................................................................................................ 42
Figure 57: User-defined reports -- Info and Task panes............................................................................ 42
Figure 58: User-defined report display ...................................................................................................... 43
Figure 59: Reporting wizard page 1: Report Type..................................................................................... 44
Figure 60: Reporting wizard page 2: Criteria (blank)................................................................................. 44
Figure 61: Reporting wizard page 2: Twin drop-down lists........................................................................ 45
Figure 62: Effective date criterion completed ............................................................................................ 45
Figure 63: Reporting wizard page 3: Columns .......................................................................................... 46
Figure 64: Reporting wizard page 4: Column Ordering ............................................................................. 47
Figure 65: Reporting wizard page 5: Format/Execute ............................................................................. 47
Figure 66: Example of finished report........................................................................................................ 48
Figure 67: Example of an eB system object presentation ......................................................................... 48
Figure 68: Document search options......................................................................................................... 49
Figure 69: Search results table (partial) .................................................................................................... 50
Figure 70: Search object type selector ...................................................................................................... 50
Figure 71: Preference Editor, unexpanded................................................................................................ 53
Figure 72: Sample of part of an ‘about’ window ........................................................................................ 54
Figure 73: Filter preferences dialog........................................................................................................... 55
Figure 74: Unexpanded work exchange tree............................................................................................. 57
Figure 75: A work order in progress .......................................................................................................... 58
Figure 76: E-mail notification of an incoming task ..................................................................................... 59
Figure 77: Forthcoming task folder, expanded .......................................................................................... 59
Figure 78: Typical forthcoming task details ............................................................................................... 59
Figure 79: Task pane options for forthcoming work .................................................................................. 60
Figure 80: Summary table of inbox tasks .................................................................................................. 60
Figure 81: The ‘Delegate Task’ dialog....................................................................................................... 61
Figure 82: Edit screen of a change-controlled object ................................................................................ 63
Figure 83: Change request icon/link.......................................................................................................... 64
Figure 84: Required fields in a change request form................................................................................. 64
Figure 85: Example of an Affected Document........................................................................................... 65
Figure 86: Part of a change request navigator .......................................................................................... 65
Figure 87: Dialog for recording a status change........................................................................................ 67
Figure 88: Example change effects analysis report................................................................................... 68
Figure 89: Object selection dialog ............................................................................................................. 69
Figure 90: Implement change request, Affected C/R tab .......................................................................... 69
Figure 91: Implement change request, Properties tab .............................................................................. 70
Figure 92: Implement change request, Relationships tab ......................................................................... 70
Figure 93: Implement change request, File & Copies tab ......................................................................... 71
Figure 94: Copy Change Request dialog, Properties tab .......................................................................... 72
Figure 95: Copy Change Request dialog, Relationships tab..................................................................... 72
Figure 96: The Physical item explorer ....................................................................................................... 75
Figure 97: Typical physical item detail sheet............................................................................................. 76
Figure 98: Physical item edit form ............................................................................................................. 77
Figure 99: Baseline creation dialog ........................................................................................................... 78
Figure 100: Physical Item List dialog......................................................................................................... 79

page vi
Introduction eB Web
Introduction
eB Web provides access to the powerful eB enterprise content and configuration management platform,
designed for viewing via the Internet in a standard web browser window. Most modern browsers can dis-
play and control eB Web, but Microsoft Explorer 8 is recommended. Java must be enabled for some func-
tions, and some popup blockers may interfere with eB Web screen renderings.

Browser navigation buttons may be used in the normal way to navigate your history list, e.g. to return to a
previous screen.

 eB Web is capable of accessing documents and physical items stored in the eB platform
across the enterprise, or around the world, using a standard web browser.
 eB Web presents assigned work order tasks via the Work Exchange option.
 eB Web includes two user-specific areas known as My eB and the Basket, which may be uti-
lized to store often-accessed data.
 eB Web can generate and distribute reports.
 eB Web can manage publishing packages.
 eB Web can interface with your SharePoint documents.

Logging on
To access eB Web, you are allocated a URL that connects to your company’s eB data sources, sometimes
referred to as communities. You are, obviously, assigned a unique user name and password. If your com-
pany has several communities, you need to select which community to connect to using the drop-down list
on the third line of the login dialog.

Figure 1: eB-Web standard login dialog

The user name is forced to upper case, and the password is case sensitive. There is a checkbox for remem-
bering your user name and password.

To log out of eB Web, locate the red logout button at top right of the Navigator pane. If you do not log
out using this method, eB License Manager will be unaware that you have logged out. Consequently, if you
are using a named license, and try to log back in, the eB named license will be deemed to be in use, so

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eB Web Introduction

access will be denied. Once 15 minutes of inactivity has elapsed a license timeout will occur. The license
will then be available for the user to log back in.

page 2 D002114 rev 2.0, aug 10


Window Layout eB Web
SECTION 1: DOCUMENT MANAGER
With the fully-installed eB document manager, a user can manage and present enterprise information
related to documents, people (within the corporation and not), organizations, locations, physical items and
serialized items as well as change management and records management. If your eB system does not
include all of the eB products, some of the components and functionality described in this section will not
be available.

Window Layout
The eB Web window can contain up to three panes. Figure 2 shows a typical window arrangement with the
Navigator/Search pane at left, the Content pane in the middle and the Task pane at right.

Navigation pane Content pane Task pane

Figure 2: Typical three-pane screen layout

To reach this screen status, the Documents option has been selected from the drop-down menu at the
head of the Navigator pane, then the Knowledgebase Article document class in the explorer tree has
been expanded, and one of the documents in that folder selected.

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eB Web Window Layout

Note: In eB, a Document can contain an arbitrary number of individual files. The document shown
contains one .doc file.

When viewing documents in the Content pane, the Sections area is present in the Task pane. You have the
option of switching between the Details, Structure, and History default views of a document in the Content
pane, by clicking on those links (The eB Web layout editor allows these information layout sections to be
changed).

Note: The vertical border between the Navigator pane and the Content pane may be dragged to any
position. In its rightmost position the Navigator pane fills the entire screen width. In its leftmost posi-
tion, the Navigator pane is obscured. The Task pane (if any) stays the same width. Figure 3 shows the
Content pane expanded to accommodate a physical item.

The ‘View Files’ option in the Media section of the Task pane opens a new browser window allowing rapid
browsing of all files in the document. The ‘Launch files’ option opens files in their native application. ‘Get
Local Copy’ initiates a file download to your own file structure. Files may also be rendered or sent to the
print queue.

Other Task pane options are described later in this document:


 Edit: “Editing Document Information” on page 25
 Add: “Adding and Deleting Folders” on page 28
 Copy: “File Transfer” on page 22
 Add to Basket: “Basket” on page 17
 Delete: “Adding and Deleting Folders” on page 28
 Check Out: “File Checkout” on page 22
 Launch Files: “Launching Files” on page 23
 Render: “Rendition” on page 23
 E-mail: “E-mail” on page 36
 Subscription: “Subscriptions” on page 38
 Get Quicklink Url: “Quicklinks” on page 40
 Compare:“Object compare” on page 39
 Create Work Order: “Create Work Order” on page 40
 Add to (SharePoint) Doc Library: “SharePoint” on page 10
 Add to Publisher: “Publisher” on page 14

The Task pane is not always present. If only a few tasks are possible in the context of what you are display-
ing, links to them may be offered at the top of the Content pane.

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Window Layout eB Web

Figure 3: Content pane fully exposed showing all information about a physical item

Routine Navigation
At the head of the Navigation pane is a row of (typically seven) buttons in an action bar. These buttons
control the content of that pane. They’re depicted and labeled in Figure 4.

Add objects Logout


Set preferences Search

Navigation mode Help (this document)

System reports

Figure 4: Main action button-row


As with most navigation or directory trees, a plus-box to the left of a folder name indicates that the
folder may be expanded to expose sub-folders one level down, by clicking on the plus-box. Click on the
minus-box to compress the sub-folders again. In eB Web, an up arrow-box also means that a topic is
expandable to show more information. Likewise the down arrow-box can be used to re-compress the
line.

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eB Web Window Layout

Data Scope
A scope is a means for partitioning data within a single eB community. Each scope may have its own set of
classes, attributes, templates, organizations, and people. Certain list values, e.g. Responsibilities, may also
be unique to a scope.

Scope names within a community must be unique. Users, via their assignments to roles, have rights to
access data in some scopes but not others.

As part of the installation of a community, a default scope, named Global, is created. Additional Scopes
are only required where there is a requirement to create and maintain data in the same community that
may exist independently of other data. Examples where this may be applicable are Project-based data and
Organizational data.

A scope may be in a hierarchical structure, e.g. where there is a PROGRAM that is made up of many
smaller PROJECTS. The program would be the parent scope and each project would be a child of this par-
ent scope.

Users are able to view and use data from the Global scope, as well as from any scope associated with a role
to which they belong, and any other parent scope. In order to be able to access a scope, the user must
belong to at least one role in each scope in the hierarchy.

Immediately under the action bar is a prominent green bar displaying the current data scope. The scope ID
is an active link, popping up a scope selector.

Figure 5: Scope selector

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web
eB’s Explorer Options
To return to the navigation mode from searching or adding a new object, use this button:
At the head of the Navigation pane is a drop-down list that typically includes the following items:

 Basket
 Bulk Import/Export
 Directory
 Distribution
 Documents
 Explorer
 File Plans
 Items
 My eB
 Publisher
 SharePoint
 Work Exchange

Depending on your eB License and chosen plug-ins, your administrator may well have set up other explor-
ers. Each of these explorer options is a specific Navigator. Selection of any one navigator completely
changes the content of the Navigation pane, reflecting a view of the eB system that’s restricted so that the
user may conveniently focus on one set of information. In general, a navigator is a list of links to content
that may be selected and displayed in detail. A navigator is often, but not necessarily, a tree structure.

Explorer
The Explorer exposes the system-defined folder structure of the eB community you are connected to. When
you log on to eB Web, or when you select this navigator from the drop-down list, the System Root appears
in the Content pane (see the section “Adding and Deleting Folders” on page 28 to learn how to create a new
folder in the System Root.) You can then expand any part of the tree, drilling down through the folders, to
any coherent group of data objects. At all times, the tasks that are appropriate and that you have permis-
sion for appear in the Task pane. An example is shown below.

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eB Web eB’s Explorer Options

Figure 6: Tasks typically available in Explorer when displaying Report results

Documents
The Document class navigator provides another approach for accessing documents in the eB system by
focusing on the hierarchical document class structure. You can expand the class tree to see a list of docu-
ments for a particular class. Selection of an actual document changes the content of the Content pane to
show the details of that document. You can view and update a document as described in the Common eB
Procedures section on page 21. You cannot add folders to, or delete folders from, this hierarchy.

Directory
The Directory explorer is like a multi-level rolodex, storing categorized information on employees, custom-
ers, vendors, etc. Your system administrator defines which person, location or organization objects
are to be included in the Directory explorer.

If you have the requisite permission to customize the directory, any folder you select or create can become
a directory folder. Use the ‘Set as Directory Folder’ link in the Task pane for this purpose.

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web

Figure 7: Example of part of an organization directory

A directory content pane for an organization displays the key contact personnel, the directory information,
related personnel (person objects,) and related organizations. Selection of a personnel name shows an
individual 'rolodex card.’

Note: Creating a new record in the directory is an administrator function only.

Distribution
This explorer manages your document distribution lists. You can have as many of these lists as you wish, or
you can pick individual distributees from a global list at the time you release your documents — typically
from the Basket.

A wizard steps you through the distribution process.

Figure 8: Distribution option list

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eB Web eB’s Explorer Options

Other distribution options are as shown above.

SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a collaborative environment for information exchange and document manage-
ment, applicable over a LAN, a WAN, or a VPN. This embedded feature allows you to expose any eB object
to the SharePoint library using options such as Move, Link, Sync and Reference. Also, you will be able to
view and edit document properties and relationships in the context of projects and document class hierar-
chies.

For installation instructions, plase refer to D001105: “eB for SharePoint Installation & Admin Guide” start-
ing on page 2.

SharePoint Component View


In terms of SharePoint, eB Web is a client in which you can view and add documents to SharePoint, and
conversely register SharePoint files with eB.

The web client provides an update on the status of the job after its request to the SharePoint server is sub-
mitted successfully to the queue for processing.

SharePoint Operations
To display the current SharePoint library in the Navigation pane, select it in the Navigator drop-down. The
explorer shows the collections of SharePoint web applications and sites that are detected by the event han-
dler.

Figure 9: SharePoint in the eB Navigator

The ‘Historic References’ node contains references to eB objects that were at one time registered with
SharePoint but have since been excluded, or de-registered.

Expanding the tree and clicking on any SharePoint item exposes its URL in the Content pane:

Figure 10: SharePoint document in the Content pane

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web
For document libraries, the synchronization behaviors are also displayed as a topic.

Figure 11: Synchronization behaviors

To add a document to the SharePoint library:


1. With an eB object displayed in the Content pane, click on ‘Add to Doc Library’ in the Actions sec-
tion of the Task pane.
A dialog pops up, repeating the SharePoint library tree in an outlined pane.

Figure 12: Add to SharePoint dialog

2. In the SharePoint tree, select the folder to which you want to add this document.

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eB Web eB’s Explorer Options

3. Select link option ‘Synchronize’ or ‘Link’ using the radio buttons. If you select ‘Link,’ the document
(or other eB object) will not remain synchronized in eB and SharePoint.
4. Click on the ‘Complete >’ button.

Once the document is successfully added to a SharePoint document library, its SharePoint location is given
in the document property page, in a ‘SharePoint Links’ topic. If more than one SharePoint library refer-
ences this eB item, all the links are available.

To register a new SharePoint file with eB:


1. With an unregistered SharePoint document in the Content pane, click on ‘Register with eB’ in the
Actions section of the Task pane.

Four registration options are offered in the Content pane, selectable by radio buttons, as follows:

 Link: Copy the SharePoint file contents to eB. The SharePoint file is replaced with an html
link that launches the file content in eB.
 Move: Move the entire document into eB based on the user's selection of an eB template. The
document resides in eB only, the SharePoint file being removed as long as you have permis-
sion to delete files from the site.
 Reference: Create a MOSS location in eB. The file resides in SharePoint with its SharePoint
html link shown in eB Director and eB web object page.
 Synchronization: The current default behavior of eB for SharePoint when an eB document is
added to SharePoint.

2. Make your registration option and click on the ‘Create >” button.

To de-synchronize a SharePoint file:


1. Click on ‘Exclude’ in the Actions section of the Task pane.
2. A warning dialog is displayed in the Content pane. Click on the ‘Exclude >’ button to complete de-
synchronization.

File Plans
File Plans are long-term document management schemes. A reference can be seen in D00475 eB Adminis-
tration Guide, Section 10, “Records Management.”

Items
This explorer focuses on physical items. See “SECTION 4: PHYSICAL ITEM MANAGEMENT” on page 75.

Work Exchange
See “SECTION 2: WORK EXCHANGE” on page 57.

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web
Bulk Import/Export
The purpose of the Bulk Import/Export Utility is to allow selected users a mechanism to perform a bulk
import/export routine of documents or folders into eB.

Import/Update Documents
Users who have 'Bulk Updates' permission have a menu option to bulk import/update documents using
Excel spreadsheets. The images for the import should reside in a shared directory or UNC path determined
by the Administrator.

Import Folders
Users have a menu option to bulk import directories as folders and files as electronic files using directory
structures in their disks/electronic media. The images for the import should reside in a shared directory or
UNC path determined by the Administrator.

Bulk Transaction Administrator

Update Preferences for Bulk Transactions


Both import and export functions have configurable preferences — for templates and directory paths, for
example.

Figure 13: Bulk transaction preferences dialog

Update as required and click on the ‘Update >’ button at lower right.

My Jobs
A link is provided for you to inspect a list of your bulk jobs, their type, date, and status.

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eB Web eB’s Explorer Options

Figure 14: Bulk import/export job listing

Publisher
In this explorer you can create, modify, delete and/or publish packages of eB objects. Publisher packages
include all contents: object instance data, hierarchies, and the files contained within documents. A package
may be formatted as html, chm (Microsoft help file,) or xml. Thus they are inherently suitable for distribu-
tion to non-users of eB and entities outside your enterprise.

Figures 15 through 18 show the four steps of the publisher package creation wizard.

Figure 15: Publisher package wizard, step 1

Step 2 of the wizard offers retrieval options. For every type of eB object, topics to be retrieved may be
selected using checkboxes.

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web

Figure 16: Publisher package wizard, step 2

The purpose of Step 3 is allow exclusion of any attributes from the package. Transfer to the ‘Selected’ win-
dow all atributes you wish to include. If you leave the ‘Selected’ window empty, by default all attributes are
considered selected.

Figure 17: Publisher package wizard, step 3

The final step is for setting output options — format, status, and file naming.

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eB Web eB’s Explorer Options

Figure 18: Publisher package wizard, step 4

When you have created several packages, the Content pane can display them, as follows:

Figure 19: Set of publisher packages

Options in the Explorer are View (leading to the screen shown above) and Create. Options in the Task pane
are Create, Delete and Publish. Delete/Publish apply to any packages checked in the Content pane.

Clicking on any individual package code exposes its detail in the Content pane, with further editing options
in the Task pane:

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eB’s Explorer Options eB Web

Figure 20: Publisher package detail sheet

To add an eB object to a publisher package:


1. Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Add To Pub-
lisher’ in the Actions section of the Task pane.

A publisher package selector opens in the Content pane, listing your existing publisher packages. You also
have the option of creating a new package.

Figure 21: Publisher package selector

2. Select a package in the left pane and click on the ‘Complete >’ button (not shown in the Figure
above.)

Basket
The basket is very similar to a shopping cart on a commercial web site. Any item that can be displayed in
the Content pane can be placed temporarily in the basket simply by clicking on ‘Add to Basket’ in the
Actions section of the Task pane. Figure 22 illustrates a basket. Unlike a commercial shopping cart, the
basket does not expire after a fixed time. All links remain in the basket until removed. Place anything in the
basket that you’d like to keep handy for quick reference or work—it’s your personal area of eB Web.

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To add an eB object to your Basket:


Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Add To Basket’
in the Actions section of the Task pane.

Pull-downs

Figure 22: Example of a basket

The two menu bar items ‘Actions’ and ‘Basket’ are pull-down overlays offering the following options:

Actions
 Add Change Request
 Add To Folder
 Add To Publisher
 Bulk Document Updates
 Bulk VIGs Updates
 Create Distribution List
 Distribute Documents
 Launch
 Send e-mail
 Submit Print Job
 View

Basket
 Empty
 Remove Selection
 Select All
 Select None

If a specific Basket item is selected and its content displayed in the Content pane, the Task pane offers a
whole suite of additional actions.

To remove some of the basket contents:


1. Check the boxes to the left of any items you wish to remove.
2. Click on ‘Remove Selection’ in the Basket pull-down overlay.

To clear the basket completely:


Click on ‘Empty’ in the Basket pull-down overlay.

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Removing items from the Basket does not delete them from the eB system. Basket items are merely point-
ers to data.

To distribute basket contents:


1. Check the boxes to the left of any items you wish to distribute.
2. Click on ‘’Distribute Documents’ in the Actions pull-down overlay.

The distribution wizard launches in the Content Pane, as shown below:

Figure 23: Start of the document distribution wizard

The distribution wizard takes you through a decision tree with a varying number of steps depending on
your choice of distribution options.

Distribution, unlike Publishing (see “Publisher” on page 14) is the distribution and tracking of hard copies
internally. People outside your enterprise would not normally be on an eB distribution list.

My eB
Another personal data area of eB is designated ‘My eB.’ Use it to organize in folders any eB objects that you
are interested in, including personal search routines.

Anything that can be located by the Explorer can be placed in My eB.

To add a data object to ‘My eB’:


1. Display the object in the Content pane.
2. In the Task pane, click on the ‘Add to Folder’ link.
3. In the folder list that pops up, verify that ‘Use the selected folder’ is selected and highlight ‘My eB.’
4. Click on the ‘Complete >’ button (see Figure 24).

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Figure 24: Adding a data object to ‘My eB’

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Common eB Procedures
Once a data object has been selected from one of the explorers in the Navigator pane, there are many ways
in which it may be handled. Depending on the permissions of the user, it may be viewed, edited, trans-
ferred, checked out, copied or deleted.

Viewing a File
Files contained within eB documents are normally listed in the ‘Files’ topic in the Content pane. Clicking
on a file name causes the file to open for inspection. Depending on your eB settings, it may open either in
the ViewCafé viewer, if that plugin is installed, or in its native application (Adobe Reader or Microsoft
Word, e.g.) with all controls including on-screen help. It may also open within the eB window.

Note: In general, ‘View’ invokes the Java ViewCafé generic viewer, while ‘Launch’ opens the file in its
native application. You may be prompted with a File Download dialog, confirming the file type and
offering the options of ‘Download’ or ‘Open.’ If you select ‘Open’ in this dialog, the file opens within the
eB Web window.

When a file opens within eB, the Content pane remains open but the Task pane disappears. The large pane
in which the document opens is sometimes referred to as the Page pane. Most of the native menus and
controls are available, but editing is inhibited in this mode.

To return to the three-pane display, simply click on the document class in the Navigation pane again.

If the document to be displayed is non-literary—a photograph, or a movie, for example—it may open in the
Viewer as ‘read-only.’ If an application capable of displaying the file exists on the user’s workstation it may
also open within that application with full control. The ‘launch’ option (see “Launching Files” on page 23)
would force the file into the separate application.

Viewing Document History


If the ‘History’ link is available in the Sections area of the Task pane, you may click on it to bring the doc-
ument’s edit history into the Content pane. The topic is listed as Audit Details, and every eB object has
this topic. The name of the person responsible for each edit, and the date it was carried out, are listed for
each audit event.

Figure 25: Example of document history

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File Actions
For convenience, many common actions pertaining to individual files within a document can be initiated
by selecting from a context pop-up menu, without having to bring all details of the file into the Content
pane. Simply mouseover the icon in the ‘Actions’ column of the ‘Files’ topic to pop this menu up:

Figure 26: File actions context pop-up

Other task pane options may include:

File Transfer
You may wish to transfer a file to your local computer or workstation, and (so long as you have the neces-
sary permission) there are several ways of accomplishing this.

You can click on the file name, exactly as for viewing the document, but answer ‘download’ instead of ‘open’
in the Windows File Download dialog.

File Checkout
If the ‘Check Out’ link is available in the Edit section of the Task pane, you can use that. A dialog appears
in which you can specify the local folder as a destination for the file, and select from the list of files in the
data object (see Figure 27). Other users are inhibited from editing the document until you check it back in.

Note: The checked-out files destination folder has a default value that you can set as a preference —
see “Publish Options” on page 55

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Figure 27: The document checkout dialog

In the above dialog, the checkbox in line with the list header selects all documents in the list if there are
many.

Lock

Figure 28: Example of the ‘lock’ icon beside a checked-out document

Once a document is checked out by you, the option ‘Check in’ appears in the Task pane when that docu-
ment is exposed in the Content pane. The check in dialog is virtually identical to the check out dialog.

Important: Checkout is only available for documents whose approval status is Not Approved.
Launching Files
If the ‘Launch Files’ link is available in the Media section of the Task pane, you can use that. The file opens
in the appropriate application in your local computer (if such an application exists). Other users are not
inhibited from editing the document, and there is no ‘check back in’ function. If you do considerable work
on a document in your local work station, and want to place it back into the eB vault (not a recommended
procedure), you would have to use the ‘Add document’ function and give it a new filename.

Rendition
If the ‘Render’ link is available in the Media section of the Task pane, you may make a rendition of the
document—typically as a PDF file, a TIFF image, or an ASCII text file.

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Figure 29: Options in the document rendition dialog

To render a document:
1. Click on the ‘Render’ option in the Task pane.
2. In the ‘Create Rendition’ dialog, select what document type you wish to render to.
3. Check if you want the document watermarked.
4. Click on the ‘Render >’ button.

You are returned to the Content pane, and the new rendition appears in the file list.

Adding Files

Shown above is the large ‘Add’ button which appears in the task pane if you have permission to add files to
a document. If there are multiple copies of the document, a small drop-down menu allows you to specify
which copy you add to.

To add a file from your local computer to a document in eB:


1. Double-click the ‘Add’ button in the Task pane.
2. Navigate to the file in the Select Files window that pops up.
3. Click on the ‘Open’ button.

Another method:
1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file.
2. Select the file.
3. Drag-and-drop it onto the ‘Add’ button in the Task pane.

The file is transferred to the eB document that is currently showing in the Content pane. Refresh the
browser window to see it.

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Editing Document Information
If an Edit link is available in the Task pane that means you have permission to edit the details and/or struc-
ture of the document.

To edit details:
1. Select ‘Details’ from the small drop-down list in the task pane.
2. Click on the ‘Edit’ button.
3. Edit the document properties, as needed.
4. If changes are needed in related topics, expand the topic and edit as needed.
5. Click on the ‘Save’ or ‘Save and Close’ button.

Figure 30: Example document detail edit form

Important: Three of the fields in the edit form are examples of mandatory, or required, fields.
They are flagged with red lettering and a caution triangle. Required fields in all eB edit forms are
flagged in this way.

To edit document views other than details:


1. Select the required view from the small drop-down list in the task pane.
2. Click on the ‘Edit’ button.
3. Expand the desired topic and make your changes.
4. Click on the ‘Save’ or ‘Save and Close’ button.

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Figure 31: Example document structure edit form

Making a Copy of a Document


If the ‘Copy’ link is available in the Actions section of the Task pane, you may make a new document from
the document in the Content pane. All chosen attributes and relationships are copied to the new document
instance.

To make a copy:
1. Click on the ‘Copy’ link in Actions. A three-tab Copy Document dialog opens in a new window:

Figure 32: The Copy Document dialog, Options tab

2. In the ‘Options’ tab, edit the Number and Revision fields (note the two-part ‘Number’ field).
3. Examine the checkbox properties carefully, leaving checked only those you wish to copy.
4. Display the ‘Relationships’ tab.

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Figure 33: The Copy Document dialog, Relationships tab

5. Examine the checkbox relationships carefully, leaving checked only those you wish to copy. Click
on the ‘Advanced’ radio button to expose further options including disposition of child and parent
document objects.
6. Display the ‘Files & Copies’ tab (if any.)

Figure 34: The Copy Document dialog, Files & Copies tab

7. Select from the available options for carrying over files and copies.

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8. Click on the ‘Copy >’ button.

A confirmation is displayed.

Figure 35: Conformation that a document was copied

Deleting a Document
If the ‘Delete’ link is available in the Edit section of the Task pane, that means you have permission to
delete this document. Since the delete action is irrevocable, you see the following warning dialog before
you confirm your intention:

Figure 36: Document delete warning

When you click on the ‘Delete >’ button, the document details and all related electronic files are removed
from the eB system.

Important: . All relationships to other objects also need to be removed before 'Delete' is possible.

Adding and Deleting Folders


New folders may be created in the explorer tree, either at system root or as children of existing folders, so
long as you have the necessary permission. Figures 37 & 38 show a folder about to be added at system root.

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Figure 37: Setup for adding a folder at root

The procedure is to simply click on the ‘Add Folder’ link in the Task pane. The Create Folder dialog opens:

Figure 38: Creating a folder at root

Specify the data scope if not ‘Global,’ enter the name for the new folder and click on the ‘Add Folder >’ but-
ton.

To delete a folder, provided you have the requisite permission, expose it in the Content pane and click on
the ‘Delete’ link in the Task pane.

Adding a New Object


If you have the required permission level, you may add new data objects to the eB system.

Initiate the process by clicking on the ‘Add new Objects’ button at the top of the Navigator pane.

The object types you may add appear in a list in the Navigation pane. Typically, documents, change
requests, items, locations, organizations, people, and projects are in the list.

Important: In all the ‘object create’ dialogs, a field name in red accompanied by the warning trian-
gle indicates a required field.

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Before using the free-form dialogs for data object addition, always look to see if a template is available for
that object type. Click the plus-box beside the data object type to expand the information tree. An example
of part of a document template, with its associated tasks, is shown as Figure 39.

Figure 39: Example template for a vendor

You can now use the ‘Create Instance’ button to add a document conforming to this template. Note that
after creation of the instance you have the options Open for Display/Open for Edit/Stay On This Page.

To add a new document and file using ‘shortcut’:


1. In the ‘Add Object’ navigator, expand the documents tree and click on the appropriate document
class name. The ‘Add new object’ shortcut dialog is displayed in the Content pane.

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Figure 40: Template for new document

2. Click on the ‘Create Instance’ button.

You can now edit the new object.

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Figure 41: Part of the new data object detail sheet

To add a new document:


1. In the ‘Add Object’ navigator, click on the word ‘Documents’ in the Navigation pane. A document
create dialog is displayed in the Content pane.
2. Select the data scope if not ‘Global.’
3. Complete the document number and, optionally, the revision number, on the first line of the dia-
log.
4. Enter a title in the second line of the dialog.
5. Enter the document class on the fourth line.
6. Check the checkbox for ‘Change controlled’ if appropriate.
7. Optionally, use the two calendar pickers to register the date effective/date obsolete.
8. Optionally, enter any remarks and synopsis text.
Note: If remarks and synopsis overflow the text boxes provided, click on the words ‘More room’ to
obtain a free-form text box filling the entire screen.
9. Select from the options Edit object/View object/Create another object/Add the new object to my
basket.
10. Click on the ‘Save >’ button.

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Figure 42: The document create dialog

To add a new project:


1. Click on the word ‘Project’ in the Navigation pane. A project create dialog is displayed in the Con-
tent pane.
2. Select the data scope if not ‘Global.’
3. Enter a project code ID in the first field of the dialog.
4. Enter a project name in the second field of the dialog.
5. Enter the organization responsible in the third field of the dialog. This field is auto-complete,
allowing only organizations in the eB database to be entered.
6. Select Authorized/Planned/Cancelled/Completed from the status drop-down menu.
7. Select from the options Edit object/View object/Stay in this screen/Add the new object to my bas-
ket.
8. Click on the ‘Save >’ button.

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Figure 43: The project create dialog

To add a new person (Admins only):


1. Click on the word ‘Person’ in the Navigation pane. A person create dialog is displayed in the Con-
tent pane.
2. Select the data scope if not ‘Global.’
3. Enter a personal code# in the first field of the dialog, or use ‘?’ together with a numbering mask.
4. Enter the last name in the second field of the dialog.
5. Enter the person’s initials in the third field of the dialog.
6. Optionally, enter the first name, title, and status as ACTIVE in the subsequent fields.
7. Optionally, enter the person’s full name in the seventh field of the dialog.
8. Optionally, enter any remarks in the last field of the dialog
9. Select from the options Edit object/View object/Create another object/Add the new object to my
basket.
10. Click on the ‘Save >’ button.

Figure 44: The person create dialog

To add a new organization:


1. Click on the word ‘Organization’ in the Navigation pane. An organization create dialog is displayed
in the Content pane.

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2. Select the data scope if not ‘Global.’
3. Enter a code# in the first field of the dialog.
4. Enter the organization name in the second field of the dialog.
5. Optionally, enter any remarks in the third field of the dialog.
6. Select ACTIVE from the status drop-down menu.
7. Select from the options Edit object/View object/Stay in this screen/Add the new object to my bas-
ket.
8. Click on the ‘Save >’ button.

Figure 45: The organization create dialog

To add a new location:


1. Click on the word ‘Location’ in the Navigation pane. A location create dialog is displayed in the
Content pane.
2. Enter a location name in the first field of the dialog.
3. Enter the organization name in the second field of the dialog.
4. Select user-defined types (e.g. Assets/Documents/Geographical/Items/Tag) from the type drop-
down menu.
5. Optionally, enter a unqiue location code in the third field of the dialog.
6. Select from the options Edit object/View object/Stay in this screen/Add the new object to my bas-
ket.
7. Click on the ‘Save >’ button.

Figure 46: The location create dialog

Every Location data object in eB may have any number of child locations.

To edit child locations:

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1. Select the location object from the Directory, from basket, or from the Explorer tree.
2. Click on the ‘Edit’ link in the Task pane and expand the Child Locations topic (Figure 47).
3. To add, click on the plus-button at the bottom of the list. An Object picker window opens.
4. Select the most suitable method of defining a location (from tree, basket or search.)
5. Click on the ‘Close’ button.
6. To delete a child location, check the checkbox to the left of its name and click on the ‘Remove’ but-
ton at the bottom of the list.

Figure 47: Location object showing child locations

There are many other editable topics associated with a Location object.

E-mail
You can send e-mail to all persons registered to your data community from within eB Web. This feature is
particularly useful when you have exposed one or more data objects in the Content pane, and you’d like to
send them out as an e-mail attachment. In general, the option for this is present in the Actions section of
the Task pane.

You can also originate e-mail messages from your Basket, and place your frequent e-correspondents in the
Basket for easy retrieval.

Figure 48 shows the e-mail window as it first pops up. Your task is to build up your recipient list using any
of the three options indicated by the radio buttons.

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Figure 48: E-mail window at start

Option 1: Enter names and numbers -- As soon as you enter any text in the ‘Select’ box, an auto-com-
plete window pops up listing all people who satisfy your entry so far. If, say, your first character is a C, the
window will contain any people whose first or last names OR code#s begin with C. Click on a name at any
time to transfer it into the ‘Select’ box, then click on the ‘Select’ button to transfer that person to the recipi-
ent list up above.

Option 2: Select objects from Basket — A list of people stored in your Basket pops up, from which you
select recipients.

Option 3: Use the search — A directory search window pops up. This search uses the same search syn-
tax and wildcards as the eB search function.

Inspect your recipient list (see Figure 49) to make sure it is complete and accurate. You can delete a name,
if necessary, by checking the checkbox to the left of it and clicking on the minus-box beneath the list.

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Figure 49: Example of e-mail recipient list

Complete the Subject line and message body, then click on the ‘Send >’ button to send the mail and attach-
ment.
Note: Send is inhibited if either the Subject or Body is null.

Subscriptions
If you need to keep special track of a document — for example, to be notified whenever the document
changes — eB Web allows you to subscribe to the document, selecting what events you need to be notified
of. You may also subscribe other users to a document.

To subscribe to an eB object:
1. Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Subscription’ in
the Actions section of the Task pane.

An options wizard is displayed:

Figure 50: Subscription options wizard, screen 1

2. Select one of the three radio buttons and click on the ‘Next >’ button.

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Figure 51: Subscription options wizard, screen 2

3. Select an event type and click on the ‘Subscribe’ button.

Object compare
In general a document or other eB object may be compared with any other similar object in the database,
and the differences displayed in a style of your choosing.

To compare an eB object:
1. Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Compare’ in the
Reports section of the Task pane.

An comparison reporter is displayed:

Figure 52: Object comparer

2. Enter the document or other object you wish to compare to. The field auto-completes and a green
check mark is displayed if the document is found.
3. Set the Highlighting Style drop-down menu to ‘Line Out Removals’ or ‘’Red/Blue/Green.’

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4. Check ‘Hide unchanged properties to see only the changed sections in the report.
5. Click on ‘Generate Report.’

Quicklinks
A quicklink is a direct path to an eB object in the form of a URL with added parameters, usable in any doc-
ument or e-mail message you may wish to prepare.

Details of the parameter set available for quicklinks are in D002097. Those accessible to eB Web are Mode
and Document Status. A dialog allows specification of these, which are then encoded in the quicklink.

To generate a quicklink to an eB object:


1. Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Get Quicklink
Url’ in the Actions section of the Task pane.

The quicklink generator dialog opens.

Figure 53: Quicklink URL generator

2. Select the Mode and Status you wish to encode.


3. Click on the ‘Copy to clipboard’ button.

Create Work Order


Many eB objects, whe n on display in the Content pane, can easily be made the basis of a Work Order.

To create a work order based on an eB object:


1. Having located the object by some means such as a search or a navigator, click on ‘Create Work
Order’ in the Work Exchange section of the Task pane.

The work order creator dialog opens, displaying all available templates for this object type.

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Figure 54: Work order creator

2. Select a template using the radio button set.


3. Click on the ‘Create >’ button.

If the work order is created successfully, you see confirmation and further options:

Figure 55: Work order created

4. Either View or Edit the work order.

‘View’ leads to a screen similar to that depicted in Figure 75.

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eB Reports
The extent of eB report-printing is highly dependent on the set of plug-ins that your installation includes
and, as with all areas of eB, the complexity of your data sets. The procedure begins with a click on the
Reports icon, which is found in the middle of the toolbar in the Navigation pane.

Content exposed in the Navigation pane might be as depicted in Figure 56, or it may be much more com-
plex. For example, the Record Management module reports are shown in the Figure.

Figure 56: Typical reports menu

User-Defined Reports
Figure 57 shows the Content and Task panes with one page of reports already created. Typical navigation
features are provided when the user-defined report list overflows. Column headings are Report Code,
Name, and Description.

Figure 57: User-defined reports -- Info and Task panes

Note: ‘Create New Report’ is only offered in the Task pane for users having ‘New Object Instances >
Report’ permission.

To display an existing report:


Click on the report title in the list.

Figure 58 shows display of a Purchase Requisition report, with user-defined column headers.

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Figure 58: User-defined report display

Note that the Task pane allows for Download, Edit, Save and Delete operations.

To filter the report list


1. Enter search criteria in the box labeled “Search for Report.” In Figure 57, this field is filled with a %
sign, meaning ‘all.’
2. Click on the green search arrow.

As usual, the % character is a wild-card. Entering ‘d%,’ for example, would filter for all reports whose
names began with the letter D.

To create a new report:


1. In the Task pane as shown in Figure 57, click on ‘Create New Report.’
The reporting wizard steps you through five pages, ‘Report Type,’ ‘Criteria,’ ‘Columns,’ ‘Column Ordering,’
and ‘Format/Execute.’

2. In the Report Type page, select the type of report you wish to create from the drop-down list. In
Figure 59 ‘Document’ is selected.

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Figure 59: Reporting wizard page 1: Report Type

3. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

The ‘Criteria’ wizard page allows you to create filters either global or specific, with as many dimensions as
you wish. In theory the criteria definition could be highly complex, but for most purposes a single state-
ment is enough.

Figure 60 shows the page with no criteria yet defined.

Note: Filter definitions are actually written in eQL, an eB query language similar to SQL. Users with
well-developed SQL skills may prefer to write and/or edit the eQL query directly. To make this possi-
ble, check the ‘Show eQL Editor’ checkbox at upper left of Wizard Page 2. An edit pane opens up reve-
laing the raw eQL query. Edits may be transferred from the criteria builder to the eQL editor, and vice
versa, using green UP/DOWN arrow buttons.

Figure 60: Reporting wizard page 2: Criteria (blank)

4. Optionally, enter any global class filter in the top edit box.

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5. Create the first criterion statement using the two drop-down lists provided.

For economy and clarity, Figure 61 shows both lists expanded, with Properties > Date effective in the
process of being selected. In practice, these lists are cascaded — the content of the second list dependent on
the selection made in the first.

Figure 61: Reporting wizard page 2: Twin drop-down lists

6. Click on the + button to move your selected criterion into the criterion list.
7. Complete the statement with an operator and value. In the case illustrated, the date can have oper-
ators such as ‘equals,’ ‘less than,’ etc., and the value set with a calendar-picker to any desired date.

In Figure 62, the value of the date filter has been set.

Figure 62: Effective date criterion completed

8. Check that your statement is meaningful by clicking on the ‘Execute Report’ green arrow button.
You may do this at any time as you build a complex set of criteria.
9. ‘Group’ drop-downs are used in complex multi-line criteria to specify the logical order in which
criteria are applied, using nested parentheses. The ‘Boolean’ column allows logical operators such
as AND, OR.

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10. Multi-line criteria may be re-arranged using the small up/down buttons to the left end of the line.
Check the ‘Mod’ checkbox in any line you wish to move.
11. When satisfied, click on the ‘Next’ button.

Figure 63 below shows Page 3 of the reporting wizard. All possible column headings are displayed, with
checkboxes allowing you to select or deselect them at will. There may be many other topics not shown in
the figure.

Figure 63: Reporting wizard page 3: Columns

12. Select the column headings you wish to include. Again, you may test your selection using the ‘Exe-
cute Report’ green arrow button.
13. When satisfied, click on the ‘Next’ button.

Figure 64 below shows Page 4 of the reporting wizard. This screen allows you to determine the list sort
order with high precision. The list is eventually sorted by the criterion at the top of this page, then the next
and so on.

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Figure 64: Reporting wizard page 4: Column Ordering

14. Add each column heading to the list using the drop-down and the + button, in whatever order you
choose (this step has been completed in the illustration, sorting first on Code ascending, then on
Class Code ascending, then Date Effective ascending.)
15. Select Ascending or Descending sort order for each column.
16. Re-order the list at any time, checking ‘Modify’ for the list item you need to move, then using the
small up/down arrows at left.
17. When satisfied, click on the ‘Next’ button.

Figure 65 below shows Page 5 of the reporting wizard. This page allows you to specify the display order of
columns in the report, as distinct from the columns used for sorting. In the example, Code is the primary
sort criterion but the third column in list display order.

Figure 65: Reporting wizard page 5: Format/Execute

18. Make any needed final adjustments to the report and click on the ‘Save Report’ button.

A preview of the report is shown below as Figure 66. A full range of typical follow-up procedures is found
in the Task pane.

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eB Web Common eB Procedures

Figure 66: Example of finished report

Objects
The ‘Objects’ section of the Reports menu exposes a set of graphical aids providing summary data about eB
objects. An example is shown as Figure 67.

Figure 67: Example of an eB system object presentation

All report types may be printed and/or downloaded.

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Searches eB Web
Searches
A search is initiated by clicking on the search button in the header of the Navigator pane. Searches
are initiated from the Navigator pane, using a dialog box. Figure 68 shows the dialog for a document
search, set to find all documents modified between two given dates.

Figure 68: Document search options

Note that in this setup documents may be searched by title, number, full text, effective and modified date,
class, and status. Search results display in the Content pane and any document in the results list may be
shown in detail (by clicking on its number).

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eB Web Searches

Figure 69: Search results table (partial)

Note that, in the Task pane, options for printing and downloading the results table are offered. The down-
load file is in .csv format, suitable for importing into, say, a spreadsheet.

The Full Text Search is only applicable to document classes that have the FTR capability enabled, and it
searches the content of the electronic files in the eB system. Naturally it can take some time to come up
with results.

Based on your eB System, additional searches may be available for other object types. Whatever object
types are available are in the drop-down selector at the head of the dialog (Figure 70). An appropriate set
of fields is presented for each search. Options available in the task pane include printing or e-mailing a
copy of the result list. The list may also be added to a folder or to your basket.

Figure 70: Search object type selector

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Searches eB Web
Search result reporting
Clicking on the ‘Create Report’ link in the Navigation pane (see Figure 68) is a short-cut to the report cre-
ation wizard described on page 42.

D002114 rev 2.0, aug 10 page 51


eB Web Searches

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Preferences eB Web
Preferences
eB Web offers many options for individual users wishing to ‘tailor’ the application to suit themselves. These
are grouped in a Preferences dialog.

To access the Preferences dialog:


Click on the eB logo at extreme top left of the eB screen, in the header of the Navigation pane.

Figure 71 depicts the main part of the editor that displays in the Page pane. There is no Task pane.

Figure 71: Preference Editor, unexpanded

Click on ‘About this Web Application’ to pop up an information window summarizing the parameters cur-
rently in force and listing your plug-ins. Part of this listing is shown below.

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eB Web Preferences

Figure 72: Sample of part of an ‘about’ window

Options in the seven main topics are described below. Click on the up-arrow, as usual in topics, to expand
hiden information.

Important: Click on the ‘Save’ button to confirm any change you make.

Document Distribution
This topic gives you an opportunity to set up a default distribution pattern for your documents — address-
ees, comments, etc. See “To distribute basket contents:” on page 19.

eB Web
In this topic you can set or reset defaults such as Navigator, Search Type, et.

File Options
Set your default document checkout path here.

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Preferences eB Web
Filters
Four toggle options are available for configuration of the Explorer tree, and provision is made for excluding
irrelevant documents if your database becomes cluttered with historic data versions that you never need to
see.

Figure 73 shows the filter options, with the Status Filter expanded.

Figure 73: Filter preferences dialog

Publish Options
In this topic you can set the default destination for files to be published. Your administrator may have set
up other options.

Search Options
Default and maximum search result lists, and possibly other options, may be set here.

System Default
E-mail triggering is one typical option in this topic. Your administrator may have set up other options.

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eB Web Preferences

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Preferences eB Web
SECTION 2: WORK EXCHANGE
The Work Exchange plug-in feature of eB Web is a sophisticated task manager, presenting assigned
tasks to users and assisting them in workflow management, presented as a familiar tree-structured naviga-
tor. Reach it by clicking on the Navigator button in the Navigation pane.

Figure 74: Unexpanded work exchange tree

Figure 74 depicts a typical Work Exchange navigator, in its simplest form. The folders serve as work stor-
age space. Tasks move from folder to folder as the user accepts, works on (or delegates) and completes the
assigned items. Once all tasks for a specific work order are completed, all reference to that work order is
removed from the user's Work Exchange tree.

The ‘Approvals’ folder only applies to those users labeled as "Approvers." Work orders or other objects
awaiting their approval are placed in the folder at the bottom of the tree.

Forthcoming
This folder contains all tasks that have been assigned to a specific person for future action. The work orders
of these tasks have already been authorized, but a predecessor has to first complete their task before the
current user will be able to accept the task from their inbox. This feature allows users to look ahead at the
tasks that have already been allocated to them.

Inbox
The Inbox contains all tasks that have become the responsibility of the current user. These tasks are ready
to be performed. Tasks in this folder can either be accepted or sent for rework. Once accepted, the task
moves to the Work In progress folder.

Work in progress
The Work in Progress folder contains all tasks that have been accepted by the user. Actions available in
this area include adding notes and documents to a parent work order, viewing physical items, projects,
serialized items and virtual items that are associated with the work order as well as viewing the work order
itself, delegating or sending the work order for rework and completing the work order.

Completed
The Completed folder contains all tasks that have been completed by the user. These tasks stay in the
Completed folder until the whole work order has been completed. Once the work order has been com-
pleted, the tasks are removed from the various Completed folders. Users are only allowed to view detail in
the completed folder.

Delegated Work
The Delegated folder contains details of tasks that the user has delegated to others. The user first assigned
the task is still responsible for the work being completed, and all delegated tasks remain in the user's Dele-
gated folder until each one has been marked "Complete".

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eB Web Preferences

Approvals
The Approval folder, only visible to ‘Approvers,’ contains all objects that have been submitted for approval
or authorization. Detail in this folder may be viewed, approved and/or rejected.

Figure 75 shows a checked-out work order.

Figure 75: A work order in progress

Frequent Work Exchange Operations


Tasks do not necessarily start in the ‘Forthcoming’ area. They may be placed directly in your Inbox by a
supervisor, in which case you should receive e-mail notification.

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Preferences eB Web

Figure 76: E-mail notification of an incoming task

To examine forthcoming tasks:


1. Expand the ‘Forthcoming’ folder in your Work Exchange tree.
2. Expand further, if necessary, to drill down to the task you wish to examine.

Figure 77: Forthcoming task folder, expanded

3. Click on the task. Details flow into the Content pane.

Figure 78: Typical forthcoming task details

Possible manipulations, exposed in the Task pane, are as shown in Figure 79.

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eB Web Preferences

Figure 79: Task pane options for forthcoming work

You may attach a note to the task, or place a copy of it in any accessible folder including ‘My eB.’ Clicking
on ‘Work Order’ exposes the parent work order in the Content pane and leads to two further options: Can-
cel or Suspend.

To accept a task:
1. Expand the ‘Inbox’ folder in your Work Exchange tree.
2. Click on the task to be accepted. Details flow into the Content pane. The Task pane offers links to
Accept or examine the parent work order. ‘Rework’ is a further option for completed tasks.
3. Click on the ‘Accept’ link.

The task now moves to the ‘Work in progress’ folder. The task stays in this folder while you work on it, and
no new task is moved into the Inbox until the current task has been marked ’Complete.’

You may also:


1. Click on the top-level ‘Inbox’ folder. A summary table of tasks flows into the Content pane (Figure
80).
2. Check any tasks you wish to accept, or check the checkbox in the table header for ‘All.’
3. Click on ‘Accept’ in the task pane.

Figure 80: Summary table of inbox tasks

To delegate a task:
1. Expand the ‘Work in progress’ folder in your Work Exchange tree.
2. Click on the task to be delegated. Details flow into the Content pane.
3. Click on the ‘Accept’ link in the Task pane. A ‘Delegate’ link is now added in that pane.
4. Click on ‘Delegate.’ A delegate dialog (Figure 81) opens in the Page pane.
5. Enter the skill area to delegate to.
6. OR: Type the code for a user in the Responsible Person field.
7. Add any instructions that should accompany the task and click on OK.

The task moves from the ‘Work in progress’ folder to the ‘Delegated Work’ folder. It is also placed in the
‘Work in progress’ folder of the person to whom it was delegated.

Once the delegated party has completed work on the task, the system sends it back to the ‘Work in prog-
ress’ folder of the person originally assigned the task to mark as completed.

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Preferences eB Web

Figure 81: The ‘Delegate Task’ dialog

To mark a task as completed:


1. Expand the ‘Work in progress’ folder in your Work Exchange tree.
2. Click on the completed task. Details show in the Content pane.
3. Click on the ‘Complete’ link in the task pane.

The task moves to the ‘Completed’ folder.

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eB Web Preferences

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web
SECTION 3: CHANGE MANAGEMENT
In the section “Editing Document Information” on page 25, the procedure for routine document revision is
described. Refer again to Figure 30, and note that the checkbox indicating ‘Change Controlled’ is
unchecked. This allows new revisions to be added from 'Approved' eB objects without capturing the
Change History (Reason for change). Once the new version is approved, status on the prior version
changes to ‘Historic.’

Your corporate policy may require a much more formal process for tracking changes to critical data
objects, and eB facilitates this with its Change Management plug-in.

Change Management in eB Web


Declaration that a data object is change-controlled
An object such as a document, a physical item, or a virtual item group, is normally flagged as change-con-
trolled at the time it is first added to eB. This is done by simply checking the change-control checkbox in
the edit screen, as seen in Figure 82 (which is identical to Figure 41 other than the change-control flag.)

Figure 82: Edit screen of a change-controlled object

Approved objects so flagged can only be edited through a formal change request process. The object’s
Change Status goes from ‘Current’ to ‘Change Pending’ to ‘Under Change’ in the course of the approval pro-
cess.

Initiating a change request


A change request is initiated by clicking on the ‘Add Change Request’ icon or link in the task pane, when a
change-controlled item is displayed.

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

Figure 83: Change request icon/link

Change requests can only be implemented using pre-defined templates. If more than one template exists
for this class of object, you must make a selection using a radio button before clicking on the ‘Create’ but-
ton. The change request form is now called into the Content pane, as illustrated in Figure 84 below.

Figure 84: Required fields in a change request form

The required fields are as follows:

Table 1: Required change request fields

Field Notes

Number Unique tracking number. Defaults to the next num-


ber in sequence based on the defined mask of the
template, but may be entered freely
Requestor Person making the request. Defaults to the identity
of the user currently logged in
Organization Affiliation of the requestor
Date Requested Defaults to the current date
Description Free-form descriptive text of the change

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web
Table 1: Required change request fields

Field Notes

Reason Free-form explanation of the need for change


Priority User-defined drop-down menu of priority levels,
used for searching, sorting and reporting
Category Pre-defined drop-down menu, also used for search-
ing, sorting and reporting

In addition to these required fields, the change request form may have many additional fields, as defined
by the template. These typically include estimated recurring and non-recurring costs of the proposed
change, technical review comments, etc.

There may also be further dialogs for such related topics as affected documents, keywords, responsibilities,
and so on. Click on the expansion buttons to expose these.

As soon as the new change request has been added, the 'Affected' object that was selected to be changed
appears either in the 'Affected Documents', 'Affected Physical items' or 'Affected Virtual Item Groups' top-
ics.

Figure 85: Example of an Affected Document

Change Request Tracking


All change requests, regardless of status, are exposed in a ‘Class’ navigator that may be selected in the Nav-
igator pane. Figure 86 below shows part of one, arranged to look like a file structure.

Figure 86: Part of a change request navigator

Clicking on an item in the tree retrieves its details in the Content pane, which are the same as on the
change request form plus the current status of the request.

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

Change requests may also be the subject of searches. Fields that may be searched on are Description, Num-
ber, Status, Class, and By date. The wild-card character % may be used in any field. With all fields blank
and Status set to Any, the search returns the complete set of change requests that exist. Clicking on an item
in the search results list displays the same details in the Content pane as described above.

Change Request Status


When a change request is first initiated, its status is listed as ‘Draft.’ As the request moves through the
approval process, its status can become any of the following:

Table 2: Change request status, interpretation

Draft Initial status


Proposed Elevated status, reflecting a judg-
ment that the CR will likely result in
actual change
Cancelled Request not a valid change
Expedited Indicates that data objects need to be
released for change before the change
analysis is complete
Approved Releases all affected objects for
change implementation and locks the
change record
Rejected Indicates a judgment that the pro-
posed change is too high a risk
Completed All affected objects have completed
the change cycle

Any time a change request is exposed in the Content pane, an administrator or other user having the
required permission may change the CR status by clicking on a link in the Status list at the bottom of the
Task pane. In all status changes except a change from ‘Draft’ to ‘Proposed,’ a supplementary dialog pops up
to record the date and reason for the change, and other details. Figure 87 below shows a dialog for Expedit-
ing a change request.

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web

Figure 87: Dialog for recording a status change

Also of interest in terms of change request tracking is the topic labeled ‘Progress,’ found by scrolling
down the Content pane when a Change Request form is present. An information table can be exposed that
shows the past and present labeling of all affected items, in ‘From’ and ‘To’ columns.

Change Effects Analysis


In a complex interlinked data system such as exists in most technical corporations today, it is not always
possible to calculate the implications of a change in a deterministic way. eB is quite capable of displaying
all data objects with primary links to the object under change, but allowance is made for a human knowl-
edge worker to determine whether those objects are in fact impacted by the change, and whether perhaps
impacted objects with secondary or tertiary relationships are not listed. This process is known as Change
Effects Analysis.

To carry out a Change Effects Analysis:


1. Expose the Change Request in the Content pane, either by selecting it in the navigator or by
searching for it.
2. Click on the ‘Effect Analysis’ link in the Report section of the task pane.

Figure 88 shows a fairly simple Change Effects Analysis as it appears in the Content pane. There is no Task
pane associated with it. This type of report can potentially be much more complex than this example.

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

Figure 88: Example change effects analysis report

In this example, a remote controller has been reported as unreliable and a replacement is suggested. Data
objects that are potentially impacted by the change are grouped as physical items, responsibilities, parent
documents, virtual items and work orders. Every element seen here can be inspected in more detail simply
by clicking on its link.

To refine this analysis:


1. Check any items you have reason to believe will be impacted by the same change, or that may have
secondarily-related objects that will be impacted.
2. Click on ‘Add As Affected Object.’
3. Click on ‘Calculate.’ Secondary objects are added.
4. Iterate steps 1) and 2), if necessary, until you are convinced that the list is complete.

The report may be hard-copy printed, using the link in the list header.

Implementing a Change Request


When a Change Request reaches the status of ‘Expedited’ or ‘Approved,’ a link and icon for ‘Implement
Change Request’ appears as an Action option in the Task pane. The same option appears on eB objects that
carry the status ‘Under Change.’
Note: It is possible that a Change Request has been completed without its status having been
amended to reflect that fact. In such a case, the icon and link do not appear. The ‘Progress’ topic in the
Content pane shows at all times which components of the change have in fact been implemented.

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web
To implement a Change Request:
1. Click on the ‘Implement Change Request’ icon or link.
2. Select the object(s) to implement from the dialog.

Figure 89: Object selection dialog

3. Click on the ‘Implement >’ button. This launches a four-tab dialog.

Figure 90: Implement change request, Affected C/R tab

The ‘Implement’ and ‘Discard’ options need no explanation. ‘Carry over’ means to withhold implementa-
tion at this time but keep this item as part of the Change Request, with its current status.

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

Figure 91: Implement change request, Properties tab

Figure 92: Implement change request, Relationships tab

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web

Figure 93: Implement change request, File & Copies tab

4. Click on the ‘Implement >’ button to complete the implementation cycle.

Editing a Change Request


Users having the required permission may edit a Change Request whose status is Draft, Proposed, or
Expedited.

To edit a Change Request:


1. Expose the Change Request in the Content pane, either by selecting it in the navigator or by
searching for it.
2. Ensure that ‘Details’ is shown in the Edit drop-down menu in the Task pane.
3. Click on the ‘Edit’ button in the Task pane.

The editable Change Request form is displayed in the Content pane. Make your edits and click on either
‘Save’ or ‘Save and Close.’

Copying a Change Request


Users having the required permission may make a copy of a Change Request.

To copy a Change Request:

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

1. Expose the Change Request in the Content pane, either by selecting it in the navigator or by
searching for it.
2. Click on the ‘Copy’ icon or link in the Task pane.

A Copy Change Request dialog is displayed in the Content pane.

Figure 94: Copy Change Request dialog, Properties tab

3. Edit the Number field. The copy will not be accepted using the same number as the original.
4. Review the checkboxes and edit as necessary.
5. Click on the ‘Copy >’ button.

Figure 95: Copy Change Request dialog, Relationships tab

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Change Management in eB Web eB Web
Deleting a Change Request
Users having the required permission may delete a Change Request, so long as it is free of all relationships
to other eB data objects.

To delete a Change Request:


1. Expose the Change Request in the Content pane, either by selecting it in the navigator or by
searching for it.
2. Click on the ‘Delete’ icon or link in the Task pane.

Since the delete action is irrevocable, a confirmation dialog will be displayed. Click on the ‘Yes >’ button to
confirm.

Important: The action of deleting a Change Request might destroy valuable historical informa-
tion. Consider whether changing the Change Request’s status to ‘Cancelled’ might be more appropri-
ate.

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eB Web Change Management in eB Web

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Physical Item Management in eB eB Web
SECTION 4: PHYSICAL ITEM MANAGEMENT
eB Web manages information in its database in an object-oriented way. Real life objects are identified
with key identifiers; these are associated with a number of attributes or descriptors, providing more infor-
mation about each object. The objects are then related to each other in hierarchical assemblies, or in one-
to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many relationships, depending on the nature of the associated object.

Physical Item Management in eB


Physical items are things that form part of a tangible system, either as single components, complete items
or systems, or sub-sets of these. Such items are either procured, designed, fabricated, warehoused, assem-
bled, distributed or maintained by the enterprise. In eB, a physical item may be hardware, software or
firmware, which is used, built, operated or maintained as part of the Enterprise process. An Item Manager
plug-in is needed for the purpose of managing physical items, lists, and baselines.

A dedicated ‘Items’ explorer may be selected in the Navigation pane to expose all physical items in a tree
structure, as illustrated in Figure 96.

Figure 96: The Physical item explorer

Physical items may also be exposed in the Content pane as a result of a search for that type of eB object.
Fields that may be searched on are Description, Number and Approval status. The wild-card character %
may be used in any field. With all fields blank and Status set to Any, the search returns the complete set of
physical items that exist.

Note: A checkbox in the search dialog may be checked to exclude obsolete items.

Figure 97 below shows the detail sheet of some software.

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eB Web Physical Item Management in eB

Figure 97: Typical physical item detail sheet

In addition to the tabulated details shown, many additional topics may be appended. If the physical item
exposed is classed as a component, the ‘Where Used’ topic may be expanded to show all structures contain-
ing this component.

Editing physical items


Users having the required permission may edit a physical item, by clicking on the ‘Edit’ button in the Task
pane. The same fields as shown in Figure 97 are called into the Content pane in an editable form. As usual,
mandatory fields are clearly flagged (Figure 98.)

Most of the edit fields are self-explanatory, but some need a little explanation:

Number (required):
Item numbers are not constrained to a particular format, but they must be unique.

Configuration Item:
This yes/no toggle, if checked, indicates that the item is designed in-house, as opposed to procured. Any
item that has a breakdown (children in a Physical Item List) must be flagged as a Configuration Item.

Class:
This field is not free-form. It auto-completes, and is restricted to classes that have already been created to
facilitate searches.

Serialized:
A serialized item is one that has many instances, but the instances are not as interchangeable as paper
clips. Each instance is allocated a serial number so that it may be tracked individually, and documents may
be associated with it.

Main Equipment:
If toggled on, flags the item as the top parent item in a structure or assembly.

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Physical Item Management in eB eB Web

Figure 98: Physical item edit form

Phantom:
A phantom is a procured item that appears on a bill of materials but is not, or not yet, actually purchased.

Build or buy (required):


This drop-down can have the values ‘Sub-contracted,’ ‘Fabricated,’ or ‘Procured’ only.

All of the topics in the pane below this main edit form are potentially editable, also, by expanding them and
adding information.

When editing is complete, click on the ‘Save’ or ‘Save and Close’ button.

Copying a Physical Item


Users having the required permission may make a copy of a Physical Item.

To copy a Physical Item:


1. Expose the item in the Content pane, either by selecting it in the navigator or by searching for it.
2. Click on the ‘Copy’ icon or link in the Task pane.

A Copy dialog is displayed in a separate window. Proceed as for other object copying (“Making a Copy of a
Document” on page 26.)

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eB Web Physical Item Management in eB

Baseline management
A baseline is like a snapshot of a physical item’s configuration, including all supporting documentation,
stored for use at some future date for the purpose of comparing the baseline with the item’s then-current
configuration.

eB recognizes two types of baseline:

 A physical item baseline, containing all approved documents relating to the item
 A product baseline, encompassing all physical item baselines in a defined structure

An item baseline is automatically created on approval of the item, but either type may be created manually.

To create a baseline:
1. Click on the ‘Create Baseline’ icon or link in the Task pane. A dialog (Figure 99) is displayed.
2. For a physical item baseline, click on the ‘Create’ button.
3. For a product baseline, check the radio button for ‘Product Baseline’ and then set the Product
Structure Type drop-down menu as needed.
The checkbox ‘Approve Physical Items if needed’ should be checked only if you wish to proceed without
monitoring whether all physical items in the structure are in fact approved.
4. Click on the ‘Create’ button.

Figure 99: Baseline creation dialog

Baselines appear as a topic in the Content pane. Expanding the topic, you should see that a new baseline
with document status ‘Current’ has been created. Previous baselines are flagged ‘Historic.’

The baseline itself can now be called into the Content pane by clicking on its underlined reference number
link. All baselines in the system are also accessible in a tree structure from the Document navigator, with
child documents listed under the ‘Structure’ topic.

Note: A Product baseline is created as an unapproved document, to allow editing before final
approval.

Item List Management


Item Lists are also a topic in the Content pane of a physical item. By exposing the full list of child items, you
can inspect each individual item by clicking on its underlined Item No.

To create a physical item list:


1. Click on the ‘Create Physical Item List’ icon or link in the Task pane. A dialog (Figure 100) is dis-
played.

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Physical Item Management in eB eB Web
2. Set the Item List type drop-down menu as required.
3. Click on the ‘Create’ button.

Figure 100: Physical Item List dialog

Serialized Item List Management


Serialized item lists are managed the same as individual item lists.

Creating a New Physical Item


New physical items in eB Web can only be created from an existing template.

To create a new physical item:

1. In the Navigation pane, select the ‘Add Object’ button.


2. Expand the ‘Items’ folder, and then the ‘Templates’ folder one level down.
3. Select the template to be used for the new item. The template format is displayed in the Content
pane.
4. Click on the ‘Create instance’ icon or link in the task pane. A complete item definition form, similar
to the edit form in Figure 98, is displayed.
5. Complete all necessary information and click on the ‘Update’ or ‘Update and Close’ button.

D002114 rev 2.0, aug 10 page 79

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