Understanding some basic concepts in Laserfiche makes it easier for you to work with your information more easily and efficiently.
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Repository | A repository allows information to be organized and accessible from a central location. Your repository contains your documents, the folder structure in which they are contained, and additional information such as metadata, annotations, and security. |
| Laserfiche | Laserfiche allows you to store, organize, and access your organization’s information. It consists of the Laserfiche Server, which hosts your information, and the Laserfiche Windows client applications, which allow you to access and work with that information. The primary client applications referenced in the User Guide are the Laserfiche Client and the Laserfiche web client. |
| Folder | A folder aids the organization of your documents. Folders can contain Laserfiche imaged documents, electronic documents, shortcuts, and other folders. Learn more. |
| Document | Laserfiche uses the term “document” to refer to an imaged document or an electronic document. Learn more. |
| Imaged Document |
|
| Electronic Document | An electronic document is a Laserfiche document associated
with an electronic file. An electronic file is any non-image file that was created in an application other than Laserfiche. Electronic documents are usually viewed and modified using an external application. For example, a Word document
stored in Laserfiche can be viewed using Microsoft Word.
An electronic document can also be opened in the document viewer. This
allows you to view images, text, and field data associated with it. If it is a PDF, you can also view the PDF file directly within the Laserfiche Windows client. |
| Shortcut | A shortcut allows you to open an item from a location other than where
it is stored in the repository. Shortcuts provide quick and
convenient access to documents, while maintaining the manner in which
your documents have been organized.
The icon is a folder shortcut. |
| Scanning | Laserfiche Scanning allows you to scan paper documents into your repository. |
| Search | You can perform searches to quickly locate entries in Laserfiche. In addition to text searches, you can search for nearly any property on the document. Searches allow you to find and work with documents efficiently. |
| Metadata | Metadata is a general term used to refer to information associated with a document in Laserfiche. Metadata consists of template and field data, tags, links, version information, and digital signatures. |
| Field | A field stores supplemental information on a document or folder. Fields provide a quick overview of the content or important identifying characteristics of a document or folder, and increase the entry's searchability. There are several different types of fields designed for storing different kinds of information, such as text, dates or numbers. Fields are generally collected into templates for easy management, but can be applied to entries on their own. |
| Template | A template is a collection of fields, which can be used to categorize a document for search and retrieval and to quickly apply those fields to the document. |
| Tag | A tag is a label applied to a document. A tag may be purely informational (such as a "Review" tag), or it might be a security tag (such as "Classified") that restricts access to the document. A document with a security tag can only be viewed by users who have been granted that tag. |
| Link | A link is a connection between multiple documents that allows you to keep track of related items. There are two types of links: document relationships and link groups. A document relationship connects two documents that are associated in a particular way, such as "Email" and "Attachment." A link group is a collection of two or more documents that are all related in some way, such as all the documents related to a particular event. |
| Version | Documents in the repository can be placed under version control. When a document is under version control, changes to that document will be saved as new versions within the document. You can then view the changes to a document, keep track of edits, compare versions, or revert to another version. |
| Digital Signatures | A digital signature is a way of indicating that a document is authentic, has been signed by a particular person, and has not been modified since the signature was applied. Digital signatures will only be available in your repository if your Laserfiche Server is licensed for them. |
| Annotation | An annotation is additional information applied to a specific page of a document, such as a highlight, a sticky note, or a redaction. |
| Text Generation | Text generation is the process of creating searchable text associated with a document. Text can be generated in one of two ways: by performing an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process on an image containing text, or by extracting text directly from an electronic document (such as a Word document file). |
| Volume | Images, text, and electronic files in your repository are stored in the hard drive on volumes. Whenever a new document is added to the repository, it will be stored in one of your volumes. |
| User | Laserfiche security revolves around users. Only Laserfiche users and trusted Windows and LDAP accounts can log in to a repository. Once a user logs in, their rights will be limited to those that a Laserfiche administrator has granted to them. |
| Group | A group is a collection of users who share a particular role or who will be performing similar actions in the repository. Groups facilitate security administration. It allows a Laserfiche administrator to configure the security for a set of users, instead of having to configure security for each individual user. |
| Briefcase | A briefcase is a file containing entries exported from a Laserfiche repository. Documents stored in a briefcase retain their images, text, electronic files, metadata, annotations, and records management information. A folder stored in a briefcase will retain its structure, so the manner in which documents were organized is preserved. A briefcase does not store the original security for documents and folders stored in it, so newly imported files may need to have their security access adjusted. |
| Record Series | A record series represents a collection of records, which usually (but not always) have the same retention schedules. A record series may be created under the repository's root folder, or under another record series as long as no record folders are already within the parent record series. Record series only exist in repositories licensed for Laserfiche Records Management. |
| Record Folder | A record folder contains a group of records which are usually all governed by the same set of life cycle instructions, and are at the same stage of their life cycle. A record folder can only be created under a record series. Record folders only exist in repositories licensed for Laserfiche Records Management. |
| Record | A record is any document (whether imaged document or electronic document) that is stored in a record folder and governed by a set of life cycle instructions. Records only exist in repositories licensed for Laserfiche Records Management. |
