VBM offers unique solutions to complex Information Management. It provides Windows file management for small to large business and project teams. VBM is a database driven (MS Access, SQL Server/MSDE) Windows application which provides filing system software for electronic file and document management. By turning your standard Windows file system into a relational file system, VBM adds a unique set of layers over the standard Windows file system which make it easier to create, save and find your important files.
File Management RealFS™ Relational File System Microsoft Office Integration Manage files for most Windows apps Preformed Certificates File Security
Document Control Version Control Variant Control Configuration Management (Packages) Document Approval Document Delivery and Traceability Document Security
Files in Context Relational Documents Relational Categories Themes and Events
Productivity Favorites Send Outlook Emails Measure Progress Work Status Reminders and Notifications Archive Management
Search and Report Fast Search & Filter Engines Data Dictionary Report to Excel Report to QDMS
User Security VBM Users and Groups Multi-level Security and Permissions External Contacts
Upsizing VBM Vaults Migrate to SQL Server (or MSDE)
Support VBM Help VBM User's Forum Upgrade Your License
Features in Detail: File Management: TOP RealFS™ Relational File System VBM supports RealFS™ the original Relational File System. It adds a set of unique layers over the standard Windows XP/2003 file system which characterize the context of your files through their relationships with other files and layers. RealFS is based on single instance file sharing where all files are registered and shared from a single source file in the RealFS Catalog. The physical files are located in one or more Repositories set up through RealFS. Documents, Variants, Versions, relational links, Packages, reminders and notifications are linked back to RealFS Catalog. The RealFS Explorer manages these references and relationships so that you can access each file within its own unique context. RealFS provides a single interface for managing your file system and accessing your files. RealFS compliments Windows Explorer yet reigns in its excessive flexibility. RealFS Explorer The RealFS Explorer provides a single user interface to manage your relational file system, for almost any file type and access to files using their native applications. Documents are created directly from RealFS using Templates from 3rd party applications, which have been previously imported, formatted and Approved for use. You can set any Template as the default for a Category. When you create a document in that Category, RealFS copies the Template, creates the predefined Certificate, stores it in the designated Repository and opens it for you using its native application. When you have finished editing a document just click Save. To import external files into RealFS, simply Drag-and-drop files and Outlook emails directly into the RealFS Category Browser. Select the required Category and RealFS imports the external file or email, creates a predefined Certificate, stores it in the designated Repository, and opens it for you. You can create a Reference Certificate which is a document which does not have an associated physical file. Reference Certificates allow you to create registers or linked lists. Microsoft Office Integration You can create Microsoft Office XP/2007 documents directly from RealFS including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook messages. RealFS automatically updates the properties of an Office document including title, author and subject from the Summary tab as well as other information on the Custom tab. You can use Word's Insert >> Field feature to automatically update metadata in the body of a document from its properties. Preformed Certificates A major contributer to lost information is the uncontrolled and inconsistent naming of files. Long file names don't expand well with Windows Explorer. With RealFS, each document is referred to by its Certificate which is made up from a Document Code and a Title. You can prescribe the form of the Certificate for each Category including project number, autonumber, subnumber, user initials, filename, user input, text, date and time. Whenever you create a new document, RealFS will automatically build a Certificate for it based on the preformed convention for the selected Category. File Security Another major contributor to lost information is lack of consistency in saving documents to a designated location. RealFS uses Repositories to provide a pre-assigned filing location for each Category. Any document created within a Category will be automatically saved to the associated Repository. Users no longer create their own folders or deal directly with the underlying Windows file system. Top Document Control: TOP Version Control VBM automatically manages your document revisions, allowing different types of revision methods without duplicate or out of sequence version stamps. Control your document revisions in compliance with ISO 9001:2000. RealFS Explorer allows you to easily create a new Version of a document. Version relationships exist between documents which change, but not in fit, form or function. Set up different version stamp systems for each Category based on alpha/numeric, date/time, Engineer or Freeform methods. Automatically generate the next sequential version stamp. Secure files of superseded revisions. Variant Control Introducing the unique concept of Variants. You can use Variants to manage 3 different variations of a quotation and then track the different revisions to each variation. Or easily relate the written instruction of a QA procedure to its associated flow chart. Only VBM provides Variants to control the content variations in your documents. Variant relationships exist between documents which have a common purpose but have changed in either fit, form or function. RealFS Explorer allows you to create Variants with each Variant having its own sequence of Versions. Configuration Management (Packages) RealFS provides configuration management and traceability by packaging and baselining document sets. You can capture the working state of a set of documents required for an important tender submission and then lock down each document once the submission is ready to send. You can print or export all documents for submission, record and report the delivery history of each document in the Package. You can create a new version of the package and edit or add new documents during tender negotiations. You can compare the difference between any of the previous package version. Document Approval RealFS provides facilities to easily record and report the status of a document through its life cycle from Draft to Approved/Cert Final to Superseded. Approving a Document automatically locks its native file to read-only and certifying it as final automatically increments to the major revision stamp when the next Version is created. Document Delivery and Traceability Build a profile of the delivery history of any Document. You can indicate to whom a Document was delivered, the date of delivery, the reason for delivery, the method of delivery, the format of documents and the QA status of the delivery. The delivery record can include VBM Users as well as external contacts. Delivering a document to any VBM User will add an entry into that User's MyComm Reminders list on the date you specify. Document Security RealFS Explorer allows you to manually lock a document file where only you (or the administrator) can unlock the file. You can also CLASSIFY a document so that only selected Users can open and view it. Top Files in Context - Intellectual Property: TOP Relational Documents If you capture a file's context and hence its purpose for existing, then you could capture the intellectual property behind your business or project. RealFS Explorer provides an innovative solution for defining the context of files through relational documents. You can link one document to any other for any purpose. From the links you establish, RealFS builds a hierarchical structure of inter-related documents from across the Catalog. Using the Relational Documents View you can expand the interconnected documents to discover documents based on their relationships with other documents. Relational Categories RealFS Explorer allows you to relate a Category to other Categories. From the Relational Categories View you can browse document lists from the related parent and child Categories. Relational Categories also control how relational documents can be linked. By binding the relationship between two or more Categories, documents in a child Category can only be linked to documents in its parent related Categories. Themes and Events RealFS Explorer introduces Themes and Events which can be used to associate your documents. Themes allow you to relate documents based on their common subject matter while Events allow you to relate documents based on some common incident or occurrence. Top Productivity: TOP Favorites When your desktop becomes overcrowded RealFS Explorer provides a workspace to easily access your favorite documents. Each VBM User has a Favorites list for each VBM Group. Lists are normally sorted based on your priority for each document or sorting can be customised. See when someone else creates a new Version of a document which is in your Favorites list, or easily transfer a document to MyComm as a reminder. Send Outlook Emails Tag documents and send them from RealFS Explorer as either hyperlinks or attachments in an Outlook email. After sending, MyComm Messenger will retrieve the email from your Oulook Sent Items folder and save back into RealFS as a message file including any attachments. Measure Progress You can measure the development progress of Documents and Packages. Based on budgets, actuals, forecast and % complete measurements, track the development of individual documents, or track the overall progress of a set of documents in a Package. Work Status RealFS Explorer provides 7 defined stages of Work Status of any document Version. Monitor the Work Status of individual documents or a set of packaged documents. When you set the Work Status of a document Version to Approved or Cert Final, RealFS the document file will be automatically set to read-only and its content protected. Set permissions for a users and groups based on Work Status to only see documents which have reached an Approved or Cert Final status, or not see documents with a Superseded status. Reminders and Notifications VBM can save the disk space and network bandwidth wasted by users attaching files to emails then sending to multiple recipients for review and comment, and then sending back to the originator as attachments, ad infinitum. MyComm Messenger is the subsystem which handles all reminders and notifications for your RealFS documents. When you deliver a document to other VBM Users using MyComm Notification, you can elect to notify the recipients by email. An Outlook email is sent containing hyperlinks to the document/s being delivered. Users access the same physical document file through the hyperlink. All recipients can make comments on the same instance of the file. You no longer need to work through and consolidate multiple copies of the same document. Sometimes you just want to be reminded when a document requires further work at a later date. MyComm Messenger allows you to set a reminder date and the document will appear in your Message Board on and after that date. You can transfer documents between your MyComm Reminders and your Favorites list. Archive Management VBM provides an archive management system which links your electronic files to the hardcopy documents you've been putting into off-site storage. The RealFS Archive Manager allows you to create an Archive Box and automatically allocates the next sequential box number. You describe the intended content of the box, indicate its physical location and then begin to add RealFS documents to it. The Archive Box reference is show for documents in the RealFS Explorer document lists. Top Filter, Search and Report: TOP Search & Filter Engines RealFS provides powerful methods for document discovery. Use the Document List Filter to expand the scope a document lists to cover an entire Category, all Categories in a Collection, all Categories in a VBM Group or the entire document Catalog. Reduce the document list based on keywords, document owner, author, priority, Theme, Event, date range or Work Status. Once you have filtered a document list, you can use the RealFS search function to search the remaining documents based on keywords. You can also retrieve documents directly using Quick Find. Enter the unique Catalog Number of one or more documents for quick retrieval. Data Dictionary Use the RealFS Data Dictionary to direct VBM Users to a Category based on the terminology being used in your business or project. Search keywords for a Data Type or other terminology keywords and have RealFS take you directly to the associated Category. Reports to Excel You can export a filtered document list to create a Microsoft Excel report which include hyperlinks to access each of the Documents in the report. You can then use the power of Excel to compile and format professional looking reports. Report to QDMS RealFS has an in-built interface which allows you to load individual documents or packages for delivery to QDMS. QDMS is a 3rd party relational database management system for the management of controlled documents that are subject to revision control and the generation of transmittals. For further details visit: www.qa-software.com Note: VantageKey does not warrant and nor makes any representation as to the suitablility or performance of QDMS. Top User Security: TOP VBM Users and Groups Once you have installed VBM you will create a login account for each VBM User depending on your product license. You will then create VBM Groups and assign Users as members to these Groups. VBM controls the functions and access for each User depending on the Groups to which they belong. Multi-level Security and Permissions VBM provides the security and permissions without compromising the flexibility you need. Not every business or project needs difficult to use Fort Knox security. VBM provides a sensible approach to security. There are three levels of user security where the lowest Users level can be customised for a VBM Group or specific VBM User. VBM Administrator SuperUsers Users External Contacts VBM provides an Address Book in which you manage your external contacts. These Contacts can be linked as the owner and author of imported documents as well as recipient of delivered documents. Top Enterprise Solutions: TOP VBM Vaults ENTERPRISE Multi-User licenses enable you to create additional Vaults. Each Vault can have its own RealFS filing structure, Documents and User permissions. Migrate to SQL Server (or MSDE) On ENTERPRISE Multi-User licenses it is recommended that you use SQL Server or MSDE running on your computer or network. If you currently operate VBM on a Microsoft Access database, Migration to SQL Server is a simple process which requires no further registration or payment. Top Support: TOP VBM Help VBM includes a number of training and help initiatives including manuals and training options. VBM also provides the Easy Steps in-process help system. Easy Steps is available through numbered icons which show you the step by step sequence of each screen's main function. Detailed instructions relating to each Easy Step are shown when Easy Steps Help is activated.
VBM supports RealFS™ the original Relational File System. It adds a set of unique layers over the standard Windows XP/2003 file system which characterize the context of your files through their relationships with other files and layers.
RealFS is based on single instance file sharing where all files are registered and shared from a single source file in the RealFS Catalog. The physical files are located in one or more Repositories set up through RealFS. Documents, Variants, Versions, relational links, Packages, reminders and notifications are linked back to RealFS Catalog. The RealFS Explorer manages these references and relationships so that you can access each file within its own unique context.
RealFS provides a single interface for managing your file system and accessing your files. RealFS compliments Windows Explorer yet reigns in its excessive flexibility.
The RealFS Explorer provides a single user interface to manage your relational file system, for almost any file type and access to files using their native applications.
Documents are created directly from RealFS using Templates from 3rd party applications, which have been previously imported, formatted and Approved for use. You can set any Template as the default for a Category. When you create a document in that Category, RealFS copies the Template, creates the predefined Certificate, stores it in the designated Repository and opens it for you using its native application. When you have finished editing a document just click Save.
To import external files into RealFS, simply Drag-and-drop files and Outlook emails directly into the RealFS Category Browser. Select the required Category and RealFS imports the external file or email, creates a predefined Certificate, stores it in the designated Repository, and opens it for you.
You can create a Reference Certificate which is a document which does not have an associated physical file. Reference Certificates allow you to create registers or linked lists.
You can create Microsoft Office XP/2007 documents directly from RealFS including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook messages. RealFS automatically updates the properties of an Office document including title, author and subject from the Summary tab as well as other information on the Custom tab. You can use Word's Insert >> Field feature to automatically update metadata in the body of a document from its properties.
A major contributer to lost information is the uncontrolled and inconsistent naming of files. Long file names don't expand well with Windows Explorer. With RealFS, each document is referred to by its Certificate which is made up from a Document Code and a Title. You can prescribe the form of the Certificate for each Category including project number, autonumber, subnumber, user initials, filename, user input, text, date and time. Whenever you create a new document, RealFS will automatically build a Certificate for it based on the preformed convention for the selected Category.
Another major contributor to lost information is lack of consistency in saving documents to a designated location. RealFS uses Repositories to provide a pre-assigned filing location for each Category. Any document created within a Category will be automatically saved to the associated Repository. Users no longer create their own folders or deal directly with the underlying Windows file system.
Top
VBM automatically manages your document revisions, allowing different types of revision methods without duplicate or out of sequence version stamps.
Control your document revisions in compliance with ISO 9001:2000. RealFS Explorer allows you to easily create a new Version of a document. Version relationships exist between documents which change, but not in fit, form or function. Set up different version stamp systems for each Category based on alpha/numeric, date/time, Engineer or Freeform methods. Automatically generate the next sequential version stamp. Secure files of superseded revisions.
Introducing the unique concept of Variants. You can use Variants to manage 3 different variations of a quotation and then track the different revisions to each variation. Or easily relate the written instruction of a QA procedure to its associated flow chart.
Only VBM provides Variants to control the content variations in your documents. Variant relationships exist between documents which have a common purpose but have changed in either fit, form or function. RealFS Explorer allows you to create Variants with each Variant having its own sequence of Versions.
RealFS provides configuration management and traceability by packaging and baselining document sets. You can capture the working state of a set of documents required for an important tender submission and then lock down each document once the submission is ready to send.
You can print or export all documents for submission, record and report the delivery history of each document in the Package. You can create a new version of the package and edit or add new documents during tender negotiations. You can compare the difference between any of the previous package version.
RealFS provides facilities to easily record and report the status of a document through its life cycle from Draft to Approved/Cert Final to Superseded. Approving a Document automatically locks its native file to read-only and certifying it as final automatically increments to the major revision stamp when the next Version is created.
Build a profile of the delivery history of any Document. You can indicate to whom a Document was delivered, the date of delivery, the reason for delivery, the method of delivery, the format of documents and the QA status of the delivery.
The delivery record can include VBM Users as well as external contacts. Delivering a document to any VBM User will add an entry into that User's MyComm Reminders list on the date you specify.
RealFS Explorer allows you to manually lock a document file where only you (or the administrator) can unlock the file. You can also CLASSIFY a document so that only selected Users can open and view it.
If you capture a file's context and hence its purpose for existing, then you could capture the intellectual property behind your business or project.
RealFS Explorer provides an innovative solution for defining the context of files through relational documents. You can link one document to any other for any purpose. From the links you establish, RealFS builds a hierarchical structure of inter-related documents from across the Catalog. Using the Relational Documents View you can expand the interconnected documents to discover documents based on their relationships with other documents.
RealFS Explorer allows you to relate a Category to other Categories. From the Relational Categories View you can browse document lists from the related parent and child Categories.
Relational Categories also control how relational documents can be linked. By binding the relationship between two or more Categories, documents in a child Category can only be linked to documents in its parent related Categories.
RealFS Explorer introduces Themes and Events which can be used to associate your documents. Themes allow you to relate documents based on their common subject matter while Events allow you to relate documents based on some common incident or occurrence.
When your desktop becomes overcrowded RealFS Explorer provides a workspace to easily access your favorite documents.
Each VBM User has a Favorites list for each VBM Group. Lists are normally sorted based on your priority for each document or sorting can be customised. See when someone else creates a new Version of a document which is in your Favorites list, or easily transfer a document to MyComm as a reminder.
Tag documents and send them from RealFS Explorer as either hyperlinks or attachments in an Outlook email. After sending, MyComm Messenger will retrieve the email from your Oulook Sent Items folder and save back into RealFS as a message file including any attachments.
You can measure the development progress of Documents and Packages. Based on budgets, actuals, forecast and % complete measurements, track the development of individual documents, or track the overall progress of a set of documents in a Package.
RealFS Explorer provides 7 defined stages of Work Status of any document Version. Monitor the Work Status of individual documents or a set of packaged documents. When you set the Work Status of a document Version to Approved or Cert Final, RealFS the document file will be automatically set to read-only and its content protected.
Set permissions for a users and groups based on Work Status to only see documents which have reached an Approved or Cert Final status, or not see documents with a Superseded status.
VBM can save the disk space and network bandwidth wasted by users attaching files to emails then sending to multiple recipients for review and comment, and then sending back to the originator as attachments, ad infinitum.
MyComm Messenger is the subsystem which handles all reminders and notifications for your RealFS documents. When you deliver a document to other VBM Users using MyComm Notification, you can elect to notify the recipients by email. An Outlook email is sent containing hyperlinks to the document/s being delivered. Users access the same physical document file through the hyperlink. All recipients can make comments on the same instance of the file. You no longer need to work through and consolidate multiple copies of the same document.
Sometimes you just want to be reminded when a document requires further work at a later date. MyComm Messenger allows you to set a reminder date and the document will appear in your Message Board on and after that date. You can transfer documents between your MyComm Reminders and your Favorites list.
VBM provides an archive management system which links your electronic files to the hardcopy documents you've been putting into off-site storage.
The RealFS Archive Manager allows you to create an Archive Box and automatically allocates the next sequential box number. You describe the intended content of the box, indicate its physical location and then begin to add RealFS documents to it. The Archive Box reference is show for documents in the RealFS Explorer document lists.
RealFS provides powerful methods for document discovery. Use the Document List Filter to expand the scope a document lists to cover an entire Category, all Categories in a Collection, all Categories in a VBM Group or the entire document Catalog.
Reduce the document list based on keywords, document owner, author, priority, Theme, Event, date range or Work Status. Once you have filtered a document list, you can use the RealFS search function to search the remaining documents based on keywords.
You can also retrieve documents directly using Quick Find. Enter the unique Catalog Number of one or more documents for quick retrieval.
Use the RealFS Data Dictionary to direct VBM Users to a Category based on the terminology being used in your business or project.
Search keywords for a Data Type or other terminology keywords and have RealFS take you directly to the associated Category.
You can export a filtered document list to create a Microsoft Excel report which include hyperlinks to access each of the Documents in the report. You can then use the power of Excel to compile and format professional looking reports.
RealFS has an in-built interface which allows you to load individual documents or packages for delivery to QDMS. QDMS is a 3rd party relational database management system for the management of controlled documents that are subject to revision control and the generation of transmittals.
For further details visit: www.qa-software.com
Note: VantageKey does not warrant and nor makes any representation as to the suitablility or performance of QDMS.
Once you have installed VBM you will create a login account for each VBM User depending on your product license.
You will then create VBM Groups and assign Users as members to these Groups. VBM controls the functions and access for each User depending on the Groups to which they belong.
VBM provides the security and permissions without compromising the flexibility you need. Not every business or project needs difficult to use Fort Knox security. VBM provides a sensible approach to security. There are three levels of user security where the lowest Users level can be customised for a VBM Group or specific VBM User.
VBM provides an Address Book in which you manage your external contacts. These Contacts can be linked as the owner and author of imported documents as well as recipient of delivered documents.
ENTERPRISE Multi-User licenses enable you to create additional Vaults. Each Vault can have its own RealFS filing structure, Documents and User permissions.
On ENTERPRISE Multi-User licenses it is recommended that you use SQL Server or MSDE running on your computer or network. If you currently operate VBM on a Microsoft Access database, Migration to SQL Server is a simple process which requires no further registration or payment.
VBM includes a number of training and help initiatives including manuals and training options. VBM also provides the Easy Steps in-process help system. Easy Steps is available through numbered icons which show you the step by step sequence of each screen's main function. Detailed instructions relating to each Easy Step are shown when Easy Steps Help is activated.
For further information email sales@vantagekey.com.au.
