About application groups, applications, and folders

Before you can load a report into the system, you must create an application group and an application. Before users can search for and retrieve data, you must create a folder.
  • Users open a folder to search for the reports that you load into the system. You define one or more search fields for the folder. A folder search field is mapped to an application group database field.
  • Each database field that you define represents a category of information in the report, such as a customer name, invoice number, or balance. When you add an application group, Content Manager OnDemand creates a database table. The database fields that you define are columns in the table.
  • You define an application for each report that you plan to store in Content Manager OnDemand. When you add an application to the system, you define information for the Content Manager OnDemand viewing, indexing, and loading programs. When you define indexing information, you identify the name, location, and length of each category of index information that you want to extract from the report. When you define loading information, you map index fields in the report to application group database fields.
  • When you load a report into the system, Content Manager OnDemand stores the index values that are extracted from the report into database fields in records that are added to an application group table.
  • Content Manager OnDemand uses the index values to identify the documents that meet the search criteria that the user entered into the folder search fields.
When you want to define a report to Content Manager OnDemand, your first task is to identify the application group from which Content Manager OnDemand obtains information about the index fields and how documents are to be maintained on the system. When you define an application group, you specify how you want Content Manager OnDemand to structure information in the database and define the database fields. When you define an application group, you also specify how you want Content Manager OnDemand to maintain data on the system. For example, you might specify that report data should be maintained in cache storage for 60 days and in archive storage for five years. Content Manager OnDemand maintains all of the data stored in the application group the same way. Content Manager OnDemand maintains each report that you store in the application group for the same length of time.
  • You can store the report in an existing application group. However, you must be able to index the report using the database fields that are already defined in the application group. The storage management information for the application group must support the length of time that you want Content Manager OnDemand to maintain the report on the system and how and where that you want Content Manager OnDemand to store and maintain the report data.

    You can verify information about an existing application group with the Properties command. The General page shows the database organization for the application group. The Storage Management page shows the data caching and migration information. The Field Definition page shows the application group database fields.

  • If there are no application groups defined to Content Manager OnDemand or there are no application groups that support the database and storage management requirements of the report, then you must add an application group to the system.

After you add an application group, you must define an application for the report. Most customers create a Content Manager OnDemand application for each different type of report or source of data that they plan to store in Content Manager OnDemand. When you create an application, you must assign it to an application group. The application group determines where Content Manager OnDemand will store the report data. When you create an application, you also specify information that the Content Manager OnDemand client programs use to view and print pages of the report and you specify instructions for the data indexing and loading programs.

The last step in the process of adding a report to Content Manager OnDemand is to create a folder. Users open the folder to search for, display, and print reports. When you define a folder, you select the application group that contains the data that you want users to search when they open the folder. By creating folders that can search specific application groups, you can determine the reports that are available to users when they open a folder.

When you define a folder, you define search and display fields. You specify characteristics of the folder fields, such as default search operators and whether Content Manager OnDemand displays default search values for the fields when a user opens the folder. You also map the folder fields to application group database fields.