Create a task route

A task route is a visual representation of the actions that are performed during the archive process. It can include one or more rules to determine which tasks should be performed when moving a file from a SharePoint document library to an IBM FileNet P8 object store. You use the Task Route Designer in the Configuration Manager to create a task route. You can create one or more task routes.

Sample and custom task routes

The Configuration Manager provides a sample task route that can be used for common processing scenarios. You customize the sample task route or create your own using the blank task route. Creating a custom task route or altering the sample task route provided with the Configuration Manager is a complex procedure. It is highly recommended you consult "Creating a Task Route" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Starting the task route process

Each task route begins with a Start node and finishes with an End node. You build a route by adding tasks and rules between the two nodes. The tasks you add to a task route must appear in the order you want the application to process them.

NOTE  Some task route configuration options are not supported when using the Configuration Manager in conjunction with a SharePoint document library. Using unsupported options could produce unpredictable or unwanted results. For a complete list of unsupported options, consult the IBM FileNet P8 Release Notes.

Task and rule definitions

The following table describes the tasks and rules that make up a task route process. Use the table to help you devise a task route. The tasks are described in the order in which a task route is typically arranged.

Tasks and Rules Description

Start node

 

Click the Start node to display configuration options. Select Include audit log task to place an Audit Log task just before the End node of the task route. Also, you must select one or more collectors in the Collectors pane. For more information on the Audit Log, refer to "Logging and Error Handling" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Decision point and rule

The decision point and rule can be used to determine the task route path that is followed to process a file being moved from a SharePoint document library to an object store. Decision points and rules can be placed prior to any task.

For more information on this topic, refer to the "General Tasks" section within " Creating a Task Route" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Get versions task

Use the Get versions task to specify the SharePoint document versions you want to process. You can process the current SharePoint version or you can enter a specific number of versions starting from the current version. If you do not include this task in the task route, only the current SharePoint version is processed through the task route.

Capture task

The Capture task allows you to specify the following processing options:

Choose P8 connection

You can choose one of your pre-configured FileNet P8 4.x connections.

Version

You can choose to add all versions of a SharePoint document as major or minor. You can also choose to process the entire version series. If you select the version series option, you must have the Get versions task.

Content capture options

You can select Transfer content or Do not transfer content. When you select the Transfer content option, the SharePoint document's metadata and content are archived. When you select the Do not transfer option, only the document's metadata is archived.

NOTE  The Do not transfer option is recommended for testing only. If you use it with post-processing options, you could lose data.

Property mappings

You can assign a document class to a SharePoint document. Depending on the respective property templates configured for the document class, you can map SharePoint site column values to the properties. Optionally, you can map some system and hidden properties.

To map system properties, the user configured for the selected FileNet P8 connection must be granted the Modified certain system properties right to the object store security.

When a document class is selected, the available properties for mapping are displayed. To map SharePoint site columns, you can choose from your collection source configuration or from the provided SharePoint metadata type. The SharePoint metadata type contains the base SharePoint system site columns, such as Name, Created By, and Created.

To map SharePoint site columns

  1. Select Edit.
  2. In Configure Property Mapping, select Metadata.
  3. Select a Metadata type and Property. Select either SharePoint or one of your collection source metadata types.

NOTES 

  • Only like data types can be mapped, such as string to string and datetime to datetime. The Configure Property Mapping filters valid data type mappings.
  • SharePoint allows you to customize how site column data values are displayed. When archived to an object store, the data is archived, but the display configurations are not. However, in some cases, Configuration Manager provides options to transform the site column data to resemble the SharePoint display configurations.
  • Security applied to an archived document is based off of the selected document class' Default Instance Security.
  • The SharePoint site column is truncated when its value exceeds the maximum length defined for a FileNet P8 property to which it is being mapped. As a result, not all of the information is archived.

File in folder task

With the File in Folder task, you can place all archived documents into a single folder or you can specify new folders to be created. The folders to be created are based on data available from the file that is being transferred. This task allows you to specify the following processing options:

Choose P8 Connection

You can choose one of your pre-configured FileNet P8 4.x connections.

File in Folder Options

To add a folder path

  1. Select Add.
  2. In Add Folder, select the appropriate option.

    NOTES 

    • The Literal option allows you to select an existing folder. However, the other available options allow you to create folders dynamically. For example, to replicate a SharePoint document's folder path, select Metadata, choose SharePoint as the Metadata type and Folder path as the Property. Another example, to replicate a SharePoint document's site path, select Calculated Value and configure the following value: <SharePoint, Site>+\+<SharePoint, Library>+\+<SharePoint, Folder path>.
    • In SharePoint, a document can be stored in one location, but in an object store, the same document can reside in multiple locations. You can file the archived document in one or more folders in an object store by adding one or more folder paths.
    • When you are mapping metadata to be used as FileNet P8 folder names, refer to the Content Engine documentation for reserved characters. Most reserved characters are removed from the mapped metadata values when processed. However, \ or / are used to determine new folder creation.

If the configured folder path does not exist, select Create folder if it does not exist. The archive process fails if the folder path does not exist.

Select Inherit folder security if you want to further modify the archived document's security.

NOTE  When you are using the Capture task to capture versions, you must configure a rule that prevents duplicate versions from being filed in a folder. Use the following procedure to create the rule.

To configure a rule that prevents duplicate versions from being filed in a folder

  1. Select the task route you want to use.
  2. Under Toolbox, click Decision Point.
  3. In the Designer panel, click the task route to create the Decision Point.
  4. Drag and drop the Decision Point immediately before the File In Folder task.
  5. Click on the rule below the Decision Point.
  6. In the Rule panel under Evaluation Criteria, select Configure rule, and then click Add.
  7. Make the following selections under the Configure Expression Clause:
    • From the Metadata type list, select SharePoint.
    • From the Property list, select Last Version.
    • From the Operator list, select Equal.
  8. Under Value, select Literal and select True.
  9. Confirm your settings and save the task route.

Modify Document Security

For more information, see "Managing P8 Repository Server Tasks" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Declare Record

For more information, see "Managing P8 Repository Server Tasks" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Post-processing task

This task determines whether the original SharePoint document is processed in the following ways:

  • copied to an object store and locked down in SharePoint. When SharePoint documents are locked down, they become read-only.
  • moved to an object store and a link is created. SharePoint documents are moved to an object store, and then deleted from the SharePoint server. Links to each document are created on a SharePoint server. The SharePoint document library from which documents are being moved must be set to enable content types.

    NOTE  Documents with a .aspx file extension are not supported for linking.

  • moved to an object store and deleted. SharePoint documents are moved to an object store, and all versions are permanently deleted from the SharePoint server.

Selecting any of these options prevents future processing of the document by the connector.

NOTE  Once a SharePoint document is moved to an object store, it can be processed by IBM FileNet P8 Records Manager. To prevent the document from being deleted when a record is declared, you must assign appropriate security settings to the document, where only the Records Manager administrator can delete the document. The document is deleted once the record is destroyed.

You can configure the lock-down option using a setting in the collection source configuration. The Users and Groups tab lists the users and groups that continue to have full rights to the files in the SharePoint library including after the files are transferred to an object store and locked down in SharePoint. In addition, a P8ArchiveDate site column is created and assigned to the document's library. It contains the date the document was archived; all documents with a value in this column are bypassed in future processing. It is recommended you do not modify this new column; however, placing a date in this column prevents processing the document.

The post-processing task is not required for testing. However, it is recommended for production deployments.

You can test copying documents multiple times without affecting any of the documents. If you decide to not include this task, copies of the same SharePoint documents will reside on both the SharePoint server and an object store. You have the flexibility of copying the documents multiple times; however, the disadvantage is you have copies of the same document in two different locations and no way of indicating which document is the primary document you want to track when the document is modified. Including this task ensures a process for identifying and tracking documents once they are modified.

Links

When you move a SharePoint document to an object store and create a link during the post-processing task, the link to the document is accessible from the SharePoint views. Each link is assigned a content type of FnDocumentLink, a connector-specific content type that is created by the library connector. The SharePoint document's original system properties, such as Created by, Modified by, Created and Modified as well as any custom properties are assigned to the link.

The custom properties are combined into one display property for the new link. The display property represents the document’s custom property values when the document was moved to an object store.

The web.config file is used to assign links to a specific Content Engine server. You must add a CEMapping key to the file for each link that is created.

When you click a document link from a SharePoint view, the latest version of the document is retrieved from an object store. If for some reason the document specified by the link is removed from the object store, you receive an error message notifying you the document is no longer available.

Audit Log task

The Audit Log task is added to the task route only if you select it when configuring the Start node. Click the Audit Log task to access the configuration options. The configuration pane displays audit log fields available, based on the tasks currently in the task route and created collection sources.

In the Audit log fields section, select each task you want to be included as a field in the audit log. Next to each field name, click to expand the field to display all metadata available to that task. Then select each field you want tracked in the audit log. For example, useful audit log fields could be P8 4.x Capture (Object ID, Object Store) and SharePoint (ID, Library, Name, Site).

For more information on the Audit Log, refer to "Logging and Error Handling" in the Configuration Manager help system.

Procedure

To create a task route

  1. Open the Configuration Manager.
  2. Under Navigation, click Task Route.
  3. Under Task Route, click the Create icon.
  4. In the New Task Route window, select From existing task route.
  5. Select New SharePoint Task Route, and then click Create.
  6. Use the table to help you decide what tasks to include.
  7. Start the archiving process once you complete the task route.