Definitions

Active Directory
The Active Directory is a Windows-based directory service. It stores information about the network and makes this information available to users and network administrators. It gives users access to permitted resources anywhere on the network using a single logon process. Using an Active Directory to store user information provides integrated authentication and centralized user management. The Active Directory contains the user accounts, computer accounts, groups and all related credential information used by windows and SharePoint.
Alert
A SharePoint feature that notifies a user by e-mail when there is a change to an item, document, list or document library on the Web site.
Annotation
An annotation is a virtual sticky note comment that is applied to a document. Annotations allow multi-user, real time collaborations.
Audit Log
A historical record of changes to a document or item that captures the ID of the person making the change, the date and time of the change, and the reason for the change.
Authentication
Authentication is the process of determining who a user is and whether the User-ID and password provided are valid. It is the validation of a user’s logon credentials.
Authorization
Authorization is the process of determining what a user has a sufficient permission level to do.
Auto Document Naming
Auto Document Naming allows you to configure a schema that will be used to automatically rename documents and list items. Auto Document Naming adds structure and provides conformity to documentation.
Breadcrumbs
A form of text-based Web Site Navigation that displays a series of sequential links so that users can see where the current Web page is located within the Web site and how the user navigated to that location. The navigation breadcrumb is displayed at the top of the page on all pages.
Calculated Metadata
Calculated metadata should be used when the value is to be automatically populated by the system based upon a formula that can include other accessible columns. A calculated metadata column will not be displayed to th user on the New Item or the Edit Item windows. The calculated value, that is, the result of the calculation will appear on the list view and on the View Item windows.
Check Out and Check In
The SharePoint Check Out and Check In capability provides multiple benefits that increase security and add clarity to document content and/or metadata modification. They include:
  • Avoiding conflict with other users who are working in the same library.
  • Maintaining version control. Without check out/check in enabled, a new version is created each time you save the document. With check out/check in enabled, a new version is not created until you check the document back in.
  • Prompting you to provide comments defining the modifications, thereby making versioning more meaningful.
  • Identifying which documents are currently being edited and who is doing the editing.
  • Allowing you to evaluate your changes prior to making them available to others. While a file is checked out to you, the changes that you make are not visible to others until you check the file back in. If you do not wish to save the changes, simply discard the check out.
  • Providing the capability of working off line through the use of your local drafts folder.
  • Allowing you to check out files directly from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio if you have Microsoft Office 2007 or later installed.
Central Administration
Central Administration is a Web application provided by SharePoint for administering SharePoint Web application.
Check-In
To check in is to release the lock for editing and enable other user to view the updated file or check out the file.
Check-Out
To check out a file is to lock a file while editing it to prevent others from overwriting or editing it inadvertently. Only the user who checks out a document can edit the document.
Configurable Feature
A configurable feature is one which the authorized user can set up and arrange or modify to work in the way that best suits his business needs.
Configured Document Library
Once your document library is created, you can configure it for optimization. Each library can be configured to meet the specific needs of the documents it will contain. A configured document library can have its own template, version settings, NextDocs features, permissions, columns, etc.
Content Type
A content type can be defined as a uniquely identifiable set of site columns or settings. As a group, the site columns become a Site Content Type which is a manageable and reusable structure that can easily be added to a document library or list. Multiple site content types can be associated with a document library or list creating a central location for storing items with multiple formats. We refer to a site content type that has been added to a list or library as an Active Content Type. An Active Content Type will continue to inherit any changes applied to the Site Content Type from which it was created, including columns, features, etc. until a user breaks the inheritance. The inheritance is said to be broken when the NextDocs feature configurations are modified for the Active Content Type. Once inheritance is broken, the Active Content Type will no longer inherit NextDocs feature changes made to the Site Content Type from which it was created. It will continue to inherit column and template changes made to the Site Content Type as these are under SharePoint control. A Site Content Type is available for use in the site in which it was defined and in all related sub sites. For a Site Content Type to be available for an entire site collection, it must be created at the top level site of the site collection.
Custom List
A list is the basic storage unit in SharePoint. A Custom List is a type of list that is configured to meet a specific need. It is a collection of similar items that conform to a schema defined by metadata or columns. The custom list is based upon a content type that contains the site columns needed to satisfy the custom list requirements and create the list definition. When the user adds an item to the custom list, the system presents a templatized version of the custom list.
Datasheet View
A datasheet view is a view of a SharePoint list that allows you to modify multiple values the same as you would in a spreadsheet application.
Digital Signature
A digital signature is a special type of electronic signature where the record of the signature is actually applied to the content of the document using recognized industry PKI-based standards for digital certificates. It transforms traditional paper-based signing and turns it into an electronic symbol or fingerprint. This fingerprint is a coded message that is unique to both the document and the signer and binds them together. The digital signature ensures the authenticity of the signer. It protects against signature forgery and information tampering by rendering the signature invalid if the document is changed in any way. These signatures help sustain signer authenticity, accountability, data integrity and non-repudiation of electronic documents and forms.
Digital Signature Scope
There are three (3) scope modes that are most commonly used in NextDocs:
  1. Entire File, where the entire MS Word file itself is signed.
  2. Document Content, where all the text and visible content of the document is signed.
  3. Containing Section, where the content of the current section is signed.
Section based signatures are useful for MS Word documents that are based on workflow operations. Using section based signatures, each signer edits and signs a specific section and in no way affects the signatures on other sections.
Document Information Panel
Beginning with Office 2007, a Microsoft Office InfoPath form referred to as the Document Information Panel is presented when the user opens a Microsoft Word document. It displays and provides update capabilities for the document properties assigned to the content. This feature does not require InfoPath installation on the user’s computer.
Document Library
A document library is a type of SharePoint list in which every item has a file, or document, associated with it. You can create, update, store and manage your documents in a library. Grouping documents into libraries allows you to categorize them, provide descriptive information about them and manage them at a group level. Each library can have its own version settings, permissions, workflows, lifecycle, columns, folders, content types, etc. Restriction: Not all file types can be uploaded into a SharePoint document library. By default, ASP, BAT, DLL, EXE AND MSI files are not permitted.
Document Library Communications Settings
The Communications document library option allows you to enable and configure or modify the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) settings for your document library.
Document Library General Settings
The General Settings document library options allow you to define basic aspects of the library that will help to convey its purpose to other users. Additionally, they provide navigation, versioning, and advanced features including NextDocs Feature Management.
Document Library Permissions and Management Settings
The Permissions and Management document library options allow you to define the security settings for your document library. Permissions refer to a security policy that governs access to documents, folders, libraries, lists, etc. and controls the operations that can be performed on documents or items.
Document Lifecycle
The progression of a document through a series of differing stages of development, the lifecycle governs the document processes.
Document Numbering
Document Numbering can be enabled and configured in the following environments: active content type; site content type; document library; and custom list. Since the document numbering template is configured in the environment where it will be enabled, the same template can take on a unique look for each environment. The numeric portion will span the environments such that number one may be in one environment, number two may be in another environment, etc. But, the appearance and the information included in the template can be unique to each environment. You can configure the document numbering template to suit your business needs. Once the template is created and assigned to an environment, all new documents or list items in that environment will be assigned a unique document number synchronously. Existing documents and list items will be assigned a unique document number asynchronously when they are modified. You can create multiple document numbering templates to be assigned to the various document categories in your system. You can have a unique document numbering template for each content type, thus ensuring that all documents of a given content type or category will be assigned unique document numbers. You can have a unique document numbering template for a site content type, thus ensuring that all content types inheriting from that site content type will be assigned the same document numbering template. You can have a unique document numbering template for a document library or list, thus ensuring that all items within that list or library whose content type does not have its own template will be assigned a document number.
Document Numbering Template
Document Numbering templates are the basis for the Document Numbering feature. The template defines the increment value and the current index that will be used to determine the value assigned to the numeric portion of a document number.Document numbers are composed of any or all of the following:
The main purpose of the template is to generate the numeric portion of the document number.
Document Property
A document property is information about a document which is distinct from the document content. With Office 2007 and later, the document properties appear at the top of the page when a document is opened. This window is referred to as the Document Information Panel. The user can update the document properties directly on the information panel. With Microsoft SharePoint Foundation, the property values, when modified on the panel, are promoted back to the document library as column values. Additionally, when a user updates content type column values, the new values are demoted to the document itself as document properties.
Farm
A SharePoint Farm is a collection of one or more SharePoint servers and one or more SQL servers that come together to provide a set of basic SharePoint services bound together by a single Configuration Database in SQL. Farm refers to the installation as a whole.
Folders
SharePoint library folders help you organize your document storage. Additionally, you can add unique permissions to each of the folders based on the target audience.
Gallery
A Gallery is a collection of Web Parts, list templates, or site templates.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy refers to logical groupings of entities that create subordination within the whole (e.g. libraries within sites, folders within libraries, folders within folders, etc.).
InfoPath
InfoPath is a Microsoft program for designing and filling out forms. The resulting forms make it possible to extract the data entered by users.
Item
An item is an individual entry within a SharePoint list. Each list item can have multiple columns associated with it depending on the list it is contain in and depending on the content type of the list.
Known Issues
A link to the list of Known Issues can be found on the About NextDocs screen.
Lifecycle Configurations
The lifecycle configuration settings govern the progress within a lifecycle. They can be used in stages where you do not want the users to promote the document until some action is taken. They may also be used in stages where the operation specified is automatic and you would prefer that the system promote the document as soon as that action completes. The configuration settings provide this level of control. Additionally, the configuration settings in a lifecycle can be used to ensure that signatures tasks and workflows are completed prior to promotion.
Lifecycle Operations
The lifecycle operations settings allow control over the actions that will be performed in each stage of the document’s lifecycle. The operations settings provide uniform, standardized processing of documents.
Lifecycle Stages
A lifecycle template consists of a series of distinct stages. A document passes through each of the stages during its lifecycle. Each stage is created to address the document needs at that point in its formation. A lifecycle stage includes: a stage Name; Configuration(s) which allow or prevent movement of the document through the lifecycle; and the Operation(s) which govern the document processing. While the lifecycle template will determine document processing from draft to obsolescence, it is the individual stages that govern the document processing to be performed at each step along the lifecycle. The individual stages give the lifecycle its flexibility to address the immediate needs of the overall document process.
Lifecycle Template
Document Lifecycle Operations uses a template with configurable lifecycle stages to govern how your documents will be processed. Once you create the template, you can begin adding stages which will contain the configurations and operations that define the template. You can configure the lifecycle template to suit your business needs. Once the template is created and assigned to an environment, all documents in that environment will be processed uniformly. Additionally, you can create unique lifecycle templates to be assigned to the various document categories in your system; thus providing individualized processing based upon document category.
List
A list is a generic term used to define the location where content is stored in a SharePoint site. It is a collection of information items displayed in an area or on a site in a tabular format.
List columns
List columns serve two purposes. They define or describe the list and they can be used to sort, filter and group list items.
Lookup Column
A lookup column is a column of the lookup type that allows a user to select items from another list or library. It can also bring in extra data/fields from the list it is referencing.
Major Version
A major version defines a document that is said to be published or finalized. SharePoint provides the ability to restrict visibility of minor versions to users identified as editors or authors. Once the document is published and a major version is created the document can be made visible to readers. Thus, major versions may also be referred to as public versions.
Metadata
Metadata is information that is attached to SharePoint content. It provides clues to the subject, audience, and/or intent of your content. Metadata describes other data. Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource. Metadata is often called data about data or information about information.
Minor Version
A minor version refers to a work in progress document or a draft version. Each time a draft document is modified and saved, SharePoint creates a new iteration or version of the document. By default, each major version can have up to 511 minor versions. The system administrator can control the number of minor versions that are retained in the system. Additionally, version retention can be optimized through the use of the SharePoint check out/check in feature. When this feature is enabled, a version is created only when you check the file back in. In addition, minor versions can be overwritten during check in, major versions cannot.
MOSS
Microsoft Office SharePoint Servicer is an add-on to Windows SharePoint Services (wss). Wss is a free product from Microsoft. MOSS is not free but it provides additional features such as excel services, InfoPath forms server, enterprise content management (ECM) and moss enterprise search. MOSS is a single, unified suite of enterprise-scale applications that satisfies diverse business-critical needs, such as managing content and business processes and simplifying how people collaborate across boundaries. It supports all of the intranets, extranets, and Web applications across an enterprise within one integrated platform.
NextDocs Navigation
NextDocs Navigation gives you the flexibility to create a custom Windows Desktop Explorer navigation pane with only those objects (e.g. document libraries, content files, custom lists) that you wish to present to your users. This navigation pane allows your users to maneuver up and down the website hierarchy to locate any document, folder, etc. Nintex Workflow 2010 Nintex Workflow 2010 is an alternative to the Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer for creating custom solutions using workflow processing. It uses a browser interface and offers a drag and drop User interface. The workflows are created in the list or library where the content resides.
Notification/Alert
Informing interested parties of events that have occurred and that impact specific lists, items or search results or that require specific actions. An alert on a list or library will notify a subscriber when changes are made to items in that list or library or when content is added to the list or library. To create this alert, you must have access rights to that environment. You can set an alert on an individual item or document the same as you would a list or library.
Permission
Permission is a rule that is associated with something to regulate which users can gain access to that something and in what manner.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
Adobe PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system.
Publish
In an electronic document management system, to publish is to create a major version or to finalize a document, usually to a different library. Additionally, in SharePoint speak, it means to make the document public to all users.
Published Version
The published version is a version of the document that is approved and can be seen by all users. The user interface (UI) version number for a published version is incremented to the next positive major version number and the minor version is zero.
Quick Launch Bar
Quick Launch Bar is a user interface element with links to commonly used pages of the current SharePoint site.
Rendition
A rendition is a representation of a document in another format (usually PDF, Text, or HTML).
Root Site
The root site is the top-level site or the first site in a site collection. It allows the administration of attributes shared by all sites in the site collection.
RSS
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a set of programs known as feed readers or aggregators that can check a list of per-defined feeds on behalf of a user and display any updated articles found.
Server
A server is a host that is running Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).
SharePoint group
A SharePoint group is a collection of users for the purpose of access control. Permission levels can be set on a per-group basis.
Site
A site is a group of Web pages that work closely together and that you can manage as a unit. Individual sites facilitate the process of categorizing your documents and processes. A site provides document and information management capabilities which include workflows for review and approval, collaboration capabilities and many more features that make up the core business solutions.
Site Actions
The Site Action Menu provides access to the tools you use to manage the site. The menu items that are available are dependent on your permissions, whether you have SharePoint Foundation or SharePoint Server in place and the features that are active in the current site. Also, the options will vary depending on your current location in the site collection. Site Action Menu Options Create – allows you to add a new library, list, or web page to the current site. Edit Page – allows you to add, remove or update Web Parts on the current page. Site Settings- takes you to the Site Settings page where you can manage all aspects of your site.
Site Collection
A SharePoint Site Collection is a grouping of SharePoint sites. It facilitates site management. It begins with the top-level, or root, site and includes every site that falls within its hierarchy.
Site Columns
Columns, also known as metadata or properties, are information that is attached to SharePoint content. A column represents an attribute, or piece of metadata that is manageable for a list or content type. Site columns are columns that are created at the site level as templates to be reused repeatedly as needed. Site columns created at the top-level site of the site collection are available for use throughout the site collection. Site columns save time through reusability and provide uniform results through consistency.
Site Content Type Gallery
The Site Content Type Gallery contains groupings of Site Content Types. This format functions as a filtering mechanism. When you create a new Site Content Type, it must be created based on an existing Site Content Type which will be known as its parent. It will initially inherit its settings and columns from the parent content type. When you select the group in which the parent is located, the available content types will be filtered to include only those located in that group. Notice that the Site Content Type Gallery displays the existing types along with their parent type and the location where they were created. Those created on the current site will appear as links that take you to their Content Type Definition screen. Smart Document Feature Smart Document Feature (SD) is a NextDocs utility that simplifies the creation and management of regulatory content by automatically completing many operations on behalf of the user. These operations include:
  1. Capturing metadata to classify and apply properties to a document.
  2. Creating the document using the correct content type.
  3. Creating the folder structure (if it doesn’t already exist) within the library and loading the document into the correct folder.
  4. Attaching the proper authoring template to the document when it is created (does not apply to uploaded documents.
SD Terminology includes the following:
  1. Document Classification is a hierarchical classification that creates a unique key as follows:
  2. Folder Path indicates where the document is stored.
  3. Template Name is the name of the authoring template that will be attached to the document. The templates can be found in the NextDocs Template library.
  4. Folder Structure is the hierarchical storage structure for Smart Document. It is determined based on predefined rules that link to the Document Inventory List using the Document Classification combination of values. The complete folder structure follows the CTD folder structure. The folder structure is built on an as needed basis as documents are added.
  5. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is a pharmaceutical drug or a pesticide that is biologically active.
  6. Clinical Trial is a trial that is conducted on humans.
  7. Nonclinical Trial is a trial that typically is conducted on animals.
Snippet
A Snippet is a predefined set of workflow actions that are available to the user who created it. It makes the action set reusable in subsequent workflows. Once saved as a Snippet, the action set will appear on the Workflow Actions Bar under Snippets and will be available for drag and drop to the workflow design canvas.
Subsite
A subsite is a complete Web site stored in a named subdirectory of the top-level Web site. Each subsite can have administration, authoring and browsing permissions that are independent from the top-level Web site and other subsites. A subsite can be created from the top-level site or from a subsite of the top-level site.
To-do List
The To-do List is used to hold assigned tasks and to manage tasks for the site users. The task title provides a link to the individual task. The To-do List can be displayed as All Tasks, filtered to My Tasks or Due Today tasks. Additionally, you can create customized views as you would with other lists.
Version
A version is a property that serves as a unique numeric identifier that is used to track the genealogy of a particular document. Versioning is the process of creating backup copies of a document whenever a revision is saved to the library. See also Major Version and Minor Version.
Views
Views define the way the contents of the list or library are displayed. They are the visual representation of your data. They determine what information is shown, which items are displayed and in what order they are displayed. The same basic types of views are available for lists and for libraries: Standard, Datasheet, Calendar, and Gantt. Each library or list can have multiple views. When you create a view, a hyperlink to the view is added to the view menu which appears directly below the Site Actions menu. Within a view, you can filter, sort and group your items. Note that filtered items are not removed from the list or library. They are hidden from display.
Watermark
A watermark is an electronic overlay containing dynamic information that is applied to a document.
Web Application
A Web Application is a website that has been configured to run SharePoint.
Web Parts
Web parts allow information to be organized and presented appropriately. They add additional business logic and applications that can be incorporated into solutions. A Web part consists of a title bar, a frame, and content. Workflow A workflow is a sequence of connected steps or actions that automate business processes, activities and common SharePoint administrative tasks. Each Action in the workflow identifies one task to be completed on the path to achieving the overall objective.