Permissions and Logic to Change Document Categories

When Can You Change the Document Category?

On our 29.4.0 Release, we will have the option to Change the Document Category on our app. The "Move to Different Category" option is always visible in the More Options menu. However, it will be enabled or disabled based on the document status and user permissions.

Note: To know how to Change Document Categories, you can access this article: Reassigning a Document to a Different Category.

Allowed to Change Category by Document Status: 
 

• Draft/Reviewed: User is an Author /permissions "Can Edit Any Document in Category" / Administration: Account Super User.
• Approved: User is an Author /permissions "Can Edit Any Document in Category" / Administration: Account Super User.
• Effective: User has the permission Administration: Account Super User.
• Retired: User has the permission Administration: Account Super User.
• Periodic Review/Draft Review/Rejected: NOT possible to change - they are part of a workflow.
• Active Workflow: NOT possible to change

Note: Authors can only change the category for documents in Draft/Reviewed status

What Happens to Custom Fields and Settings?

When the category is changed, the following applies:

• Custom Fields:
• Category Custom Fields:
  • New Category Custom Fields: All custom fields from the new category will come as blank entries to every document version (including required fields), so remember to fill them in afterward.
  • Old Category Custom Fields: will be removed from all document versions

• Account custom fields: when they exist in both (old/new categories), they will remain unchanged.

   

• Workflows: launched after the category change will follow the new category settings.

   

• Category Settings:
   
  • The following settings will NOT automatically hold the new logic of the new category, but will hold the information of the old category.

• Settings:
   
  • Document Security
  • Document Review Interval
  • Automatically create training records for Authors/Workflow Participants
  • User Retraining Interval
  • Account Custom Fields
  • Existing Completed Training Record
  • Upcoming Incomplete Training Due Dates
    
     
• Training and Review Interval:
   
  • Document Security and Training/Review Intervals will not change.
  • Completed training records will remain untouched.
  • Incomplete Training records will retain their original training intervals, and due dates will not be recalculated.

  • Newly assigned training after the category change will follow the new category’s grace period.

     

• Grace Period:
   
  • Completed training records will remain intact and will not be modified.
  • Incomplete training records will not have their dates recalculated unless they are manually reassigned.

  • Newly assigned training after the category change will follow the new category's grace period.

     

• Links & Attachments:
   
  • Links and attachments will not be changed.

• Archive Rules:
   
  • Retired Documents will follow the archive rules of the new category.
    • Note: this means that any documents marked as retired will be subject to the new category's archive settings and not the original category’s archive rules.

What Happens to Key ID and Category Name?

After the category change, the following applies:

• Category Name: The name will update to the new category name.
• Key ID: The ID will change to the next ID in sequence in the new category.

How the Changes Will Be Applied to Document Versions?

Once the category change is confirmed, all versions of the document will be moved to the new category, ensuring that every version is aligned with the updated category settings. This means the following will be updated to reflect the target category settings:

• All category custom fields will be deleted and replaced with the new category’s custom fields and blank values. This impacts all document versions.
• Document workflows (only affects new workflows launched after change).
• Archive Rules, including for all past retired versions of the document.
• PDF Export Options.
• Roles/Permissions.
• New assigned training (occurring after this transaction) will follow the new Training Grace Period.

Conclusion

The "Move to Different Category" option allows you to change a document’s category based on the document status and permissions. It’s important to understand the behavior of custom fields, workflows, and other settings during this process, as some fields and settings may either be overwritten or remain unchanged.