Document lifecycle, locking, and version control

1. Overview & Business Value#

This comprehensive operational guide details the architecture, business workflows, configuration parameters, and execution steps for Document lifecycle, locking, and version control within SmartERP.

Document integrity is critical when collaborating across distributed teams. SmartERP Documents Enterprise provides formal check-out locking, immutable version tracking, and cryptographic integrity verification.

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2. Prerequisites & Security Access Groups#

• Required Modules: documents, smarterp_dms
• Security Groups:
  • Documents User (Technical ID: documents.group_documents_user)
  • Documents Administrator (Technical ID: documents.group_documents_manager)
• Master Data Dependencies: Workspace hierarchies, document tags, automated actions, OCR rule definitions, and retention policies.

3. Step-by-Step Configuration & Execution#

Step 1: Navigating to the Module Interface#

1. Log into your SmartERP instance at https://smarterp.et/odoo.
2. Open the main App Switcher (grid icon in the top-left corner).
3. Select the Documents app icon.
4. From the top navigation bar, open Documents → Workspaces → Finance / Legal / HR / Operations.

{screenshot:document-lifecycle-and-versioning-app-switcher-navigation}

Step 2: Creating and Parameterizing Records#

1. Click the New button in the top-left control panel.
2. Complete the mandatory fields in the record form:
   • Document Title (Mandatory): Clear descriptive document name
   • Workspace Category (Mandatory): Target departmental archive workspace
   • Attachment File (Mandatory): Uploaded PDF, image, spreadsheet, or scan file
   • Document Owner (Mandatory): Employee or department responsible for custody
3. Configure optional operational parameters and localized tags as required:
   • Document Tags (Optional): Tax, audit, or confidentiality classification labels
   • Facial/OCR Extraction Template (Optional): Automated field mapping profile
   • Expiry Date (Optional): Statutory document retention expiration date
4. Click the Save icon in the control bar to commit the record.

{screenshot:document-lifecycle-and-versioning-record-creation-form}

Step 3: Validating and Processing Transactions#

• State Transitions: Execute operational state progression (Uploaded → Indexed / OCR Processed → Tagged → Approved / Locked → Archived).
• Ledger & System Impact: Document metadata tags and financial attachments link directly to general ledger journal items and vendor bills for instant audit recall.
• Audit Verification: Automated recording of author ID, timestamp, and immutable revision history.

{screenshot:document-lifecycle-and-versioning-transaction-processing-state}

Check-out and check-in locking#

To prevent conflicting edits when an officer downloads an agreement or spreadsheet for editing:

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor Alice as Officer (Alice)
    participant DMS as SmartERP Documents
    actor Bob as Officer (Bob)
    
    Alice->>DMS: Click 'Check Out' on Contract.docx
    DMS->>DMS: Set lock flag (locked_by: Alice, lock_date: Now)
    Bob->>DMS: Attempts to edit or upload new version
    DMS-->>Bob: Blocked: 'Document is locked by Alice since 10:15 AM'
    Alice->>DMS: Uploads modified Contract.docx & clicks 'Check In'
    DMS->>DMS: Releases lock & increments version from v1.2 to v1.3
    DMS->>Bob: Document unlocked & available for editing

Immutable version history#

Every new file upload or modification creates a new entry in documents.document.history:

• Version Numbering: Automatically increments major/minor versions (e.g., 1.0 $\rightarrow$ 1.1 $\rightarrow$ 2.0).
• Revision Rationale: Prompts the user to enter a required change summary.
• SHA-256 Digest: Records a 64-character hexadecimal checksum calculated at moment of storage.
• Author & Timestamp: Preserves full audit accountability.

Rollback to prior version#

If an error is discovered in a newly uploaded version:

1. Open the document detail panel.
2. Navigate to the Versions tab.
3. Locate the desired previous version (e.g., v1.2).
4. Click Restore Version.
5. The system archives the current state and restores the selected historical binary as the active document, maintaining a complete audit trail of the restoration event.

4. Advanced Configuration Points#

• Automated Actions & Scheduled Tasks (Crons):
  • Documents: Run OCR field extraction (documents.ir_cron_ocr_process): Runs every 15 minutes to process incoming scanned document text
  • Documents: Archive expired records (documents.ir_cron_retention): Runs weekly to enforce statutory document retention schedules
• Custom Print Templates & Reports:
  • Document Audit Trail & Access Log
  • Workspace Document Storage & Activity Ledger
• Multi-Company Rules: Record-level security isolation under Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.), preventing cross-company ledger leakage across parent and subsidiary legal entities.

5. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Matrix#