Knowledge documents

In the Knowledge Management (KM) system, a knowledge document typically consists of information about a particular topic. The amount of detail and length depends on the complexity of the topic and the audience for the document. Knowledge documents can include attachments that can be images, text files, PDF files, or Word files for example. In the out-of-box system, the types of knowledge documents are error messages, external documents, question/answer documents, problem/solution documents, and reference documents. All knowledge documents are assigned to at least one document category and may be placed in multiple categories. A typical document category might be technical documents or HR procedures.

  • Draft documents - These are documents that are being created, but have not yet been submitted to be published..
  • Published documents - These are documents that are available for searching and viewing. Some documents may only be viewed by internal users, while others can be viewed by internal and external users. Published documents can be edited by users with the Edit in place a published document option selected for their KM security profile. Users can add feedback to published documents. Users with appropriate privileges can create a working copy of the document and then make revisions.
  • Working copy - A document becomes a working copy when a published document goes into the workflow to be updated. When the working copy of the document is published, it replaces the original document. A working copy of a published document has an "R" appended to the document ID. A new document submitted to be published is also considered a working copy while it is in the workflow waiting to be published, but there is no "R" appended to the document ID.
  • Retired documents - These are documents that become out-of-date and have been archived for some reasons. Retired documents are not searched when users perform a knowledgebase search. KM ADMIN users can delete retired documents.

Knowledge documents typically have a life cycle that includes draft, triage, pending documents in the approval workflow, published, and retired.

Related topics

Retired knowledge documents

Create a working copy of a knowledge document
Retire a knowledge document