FileHold

Confirm the modules in a proposed configuration: workflow automation, repository automation and other add-ons are optional. Their presence on the product page does not mean they are included in every base subscription.

Evaluation is guided. The vendor describes a 5–10 day installed trial with orientation and IT preparation, plus a longer proof of concept carrying technical-support fees that can be credited toward purchase. Do not budget on the assumption that every trial service is free.

Before relying on FileHold for document recovery, ask a Library Administrator to delete and restore a harmless sample document. FileHold says a deleted library file first enters Recover Documents, where administrators can restore it, and a scheduled hard delete later removes its files and related records. The permanent-deletion delay is configurable; the guide lists a seven-day default. Confirm the actual setting and separate backup route in the proposed deployment.

Before treating FileHold's version history as a recovery route, try a harmless older revision with the intended user role. FileHold says ordinary searches include only the latest document version; Advanced Search's Include All Document Versions option can find older ones, and the metadata pane opens Version History. If you reinstate an older version, it becomes a new latest version and you must choose whether its prior metadata or the current metadata carries forward. When locating earlier metadata values also matters, check the separate historical-metadata search option.

Before treating FileHold's standard export as a complete migration archive, test a harmless sample with the intended export role and the versions and metadata the destination needs. The Desktop Application exports native files plus XML metadata, but an export from a folder normally takes the latest version visible to that user; a version-history view can export a selected older version. The standard tool omits approval status and version-control numbers, for which FileHold points to its API or another method. Its separate grid-to-CSV command exports only the displayed page of column values. Check the sample against the destination's required history and fields before planning a large export.

Before offboarding a FileHold user, check whether they have documents left checked out and whether local edits still need to be checked in. Checkout locks a document against other edits. A Library Administrator can find checked-out files even for disabled or deleted users under Undo Checkout and choose Check-In No Changes to release the lock; the existing version number stays the same. Rehearse this path on a harmless file and collect needed local edits before choosing the no-changes action.

FileHold Document Workflow is a separately purchased module. For an employee leave or offboarding handoff, try delegating a synthetic pending review or approval task and check the new assignee and “on behalf of” record. The vendor documents bulk reassignment of workflow participants and initiators, with restoration to the original owner after a return; a reserved task cannot be delegated. Confirm that the intended roles can see and reassign the relevant tasks before relying on this process.

Before emailing a FileHold document, check whether the library administrator has configured attachments, links or a user choice. Anyone who receives an attachment can open that copy; a regular FileHold link requires the recipient to sign in and have permission to the document. For a recipient without ordinary FileHold access, evaluate the separate Courier delivery route. Test the intended path with a harmless file and recipient before sharing sensitive records.

FileHold's Version History view cannot show usage for a version once that version is deleted. Its separate Document Usage Log can show those actions after deletion, with action and date filters and CSV export. FileHold says Cabinet administrators or higher can access the log, limited to entries in their ownership scope. For a records handoff, have an authorized administrator check the needed actions and exported fields on a harmless sample before relying on the report.

For a FileHold document-approval workflow, test a fictional two-stage approval before deciding how rejections will be handled. FileHold says any participant’s Do not approve decision ends the workflow and marks that document version Not Approved, even if an earlier stage approved it. A new file version normally needs the full workflow again; an initiator or administrator can instead restart the workflow on the same version. Confirm who can restart it and how reviewers will identify the version status before using the process with live files.

For a FileHold-to-FileHold move, test a small, harmless export before assuming it will import cleanly. FileHold says Manage Imports can use compatible export XML in Dynamic Import mode to bring documents, metadata and library paths into another FileHold system. The destination schemas and metadata fields must already exist; creating missing folders also depends on auto-filing and user permissions. A library administrator defines the import profile, and FileHold points runs above about 5,000 files to ADI. Compare files, versions, metadata, paths and approval status in the sample before planning a larger move.

FileHold's Event Schedules can apply schema-level lifecycle rules: soft-delete a document, move it to the Library Archive, or convert it to a record that stays in the library but cannot be edited. System administrators enable event types; library administrators create and apply schedules using document or metadata dates with an optional offset. FileHold says lifecycle processing uses the latest version and metadata values. Before relying on a retention policy, have the records owner test a harmless schema, check trigger dates and recovery, and confirm the configuration against applicable obligations.

FileHold Courier separates an activity's due date and reminder schedule from the transmission expiry. Its guide says documents stop being accessible through the Courier portal after expiry; a missed due date alone should not be treated as proof of access revocation. A Document Publisher or higher can initiate a transmission, subject to group restrictions and document ownership or permission override; external recipients consume Courier units. Before relying on a timed handoff, ask an authorized sender to test a harmless file with an external test recipient, check available units, and verify the due, reminder and expiry settings against actual access and the transmission report.

Before using FileHold folders for sensitive records, check both levels of access. A group must belong to a cabinet before it can be assigned to a folder, and FileHold says only folder members can see or access its documents. In the folder's Security tab, an administrator can inspect Effective Permissions, reduce a role with advanced security, or choose to inherit cabinet security. Have a permitted administrator try a harmless folder and document with representative users after each group or role change, then confirm the visibility intended for that team.

For annotated FileHold documents, decide whether review marks should remain in a separate markup layer or become part of a published file version. FileHold says annotations can be viewed at every viewer level but edited at levels 2 and 3; a markup layer overlays the document and only one layer can be created per document. Publishing as a new document or version embeds the annotations in that file. Use a fictional document to compare reviewer permissions and the file a downstream recipient would receive, without annotating or exporting a real record.