Process Step Details - Alter Document

Plan: Not Available: Intermediate Available: Pro or Elite

Users: Not Available: All users Available: FYI Admins or User Group permissions

Practice Management Source: Available: All sources

When a Custom Process is set up with a Document View as the Filter, or whenever a Process includes a step that creates a document, you can use the Alter Document step. For example, this could be used to automatically add the client's name to the document's title.

The Alter document step can be used in various ways:

For a process that is filtered with a Document view to retrieve a collection of documents, you can use the Alter Document to update any key fields.
You can also add a Task or a Comment to the document (used as notifications for other staff members)
For a process that creates any Documents, Emails, Phone Calls, File Notes or Meetings, you can also use the Alter Document step to change the filing details, or add a Task or Comment to a document that has been created in that Process. The steps used for this action include Create Word, Create Email, Create Spreadsheet, Create Presentation, Create Phone, Create Note, and Create Meeting.
Practices on the Elite Plan: For a process that creates an Invoice (using the Create Invoice step) the Alter Document step can be used to process workflows, for example, create a task to review the Invoice.
For practices on the Elite plan using FYI for practice management, Alter Document can also be used to notify staff using a comment when the Invoice is marked as paid.

Note: Filing details for documents in Co-Edit cannot be updated. The document must first be finished and synchronised back to FYI. Refer to Co-Editing a Document with a Client.

Alter Document step

From within a process, click Add Step.
Click FYI Actions.
Select Alter Document from the list of steps.
The following is an example of the Alter Document step.

Alter Document Fields

Action

Used to select the document that will be altered.

Field

Details

Document

The Document field is used to select the document that will be altered. This can be set to:

Trigger Document, i.e. the document retrieved by the Document view selected in the Automation Filter.
Documents created earlier in the Automation. The step number will be displayed. For example, "1: Create Word > Document" indicates a document created in Step 1.

In the following example, the Process has steps that create a Document and create an Email. The documents created in the previous steps are available to select in the Alter Document action step.

2548_Alter_Document_Select_Document_Created_in_Process.gif

Filing

The Filing section controls how the document is named and where it is filed.

Field	Details
Name	The Name of the document is set as a default as the Original Filename. The fields will default to the Merge Field `{{ OriginalFileName }}` which leaves what is already selected for the document. Merge Fields can be used to search and select additional merge fields. Click the Merge Fields icon and select from the available merge fields. Refer to Including Merge Fields in Automations. Where relevant, update the Cabinet, Category and Filing details. Note: Filing details for documents in Co-Edit cannot be updated. The document must first be finished and synchronised back to FYI. Refer to Co-Editing a Document with a Client.
AutoFile	Can be set to Enabled or Disabled. When AutoFile is "Disabled", the document will be filed using the settings for Client, Job, Keywords, Cabinet and Category in the process step. When AutoFile is "Enabled", the Filing Defaults for the client are used, if available. These settings are taken from the client of the document is processed for. Where the client is part of a Client Group, the process ignores whether there is a client for the group set with the Include in Autofile setting. Refer to Setting Filing Defaults for a Client.
Client	Displayed only if Autofile is "Disabled". Choose from one of the following options: Don't Update: The client will not be updated. Current Client: The system will use the Client from the most recent Client step, for example, Create Client step. Search for a client: Search for a client name. Important Note: Updating the client will file all documents associated with the automation to this client. It is recommended to only use this option if the automation is relevant to one client.
Job	Displayed only if Autofile is "Disabled". Where a process includes a Create Job or Look Up Job step, Merge Fields can be used to search and select the Job from a previous step. Click the Merge Fields icon and select from the available merge fields. Refer to Including Merge Fields in Automations.
Cabinet	Displayed only if Autofile is "Disabled", and used to change the Cabinet the document is filed to. For practices using process filter CSV Data Import, Merge Fields can be used to search and select Cabinet Merge Fields. Click the Merge Fields icon and select from the available merge fields. Refer to Including Merge Fields in Automations.
Keywords	Displayed only if Autofile is "Disabled". Enter Keywords to categorise your document, where required. Merge Fields can be used to search and select additional merge fields. Click the Merge Fields icon and select from the available merge fields. Refer to Including Merge Fields in Automations. Note: Keywords will only be added if they are enabled for the selecte cabinet in Practice Settings.
Add Category	Displayed only if Autofile is "Disabled". Select a category, relevant to the Cabinet that is selected, where applicable. For practices using process filter CSV Data Import, Merge Fields can be used to search and select Cabinet Merge Fields. Click the Merge Fields icon and select from the available merge fields. Refer to Including Merge Fields in Automations.
Filing	The Filing Status. This can be set to "Archived" to archive documents. The documents will be included in the Documents Archived view. For example, the Document View filters documents with year categories older than seven years, and Alter Document can archive these documents. If the status in Filing is set to "Delete", the documents will be deleted, and displayed in the Documents Deleted view. Refer to Deleting Documents and Recovering Deleted Documents.

Workflow

In the Workflow section, the options for Owner, Approver and Workflow status will default to "Don't update" and can be changed.

To update, click the Merge Field icon and select the appropriate field from the Merge Field Section. For example, to update the Owner expand the Trigger Client Merge Field section and select the Custom User Role, such as "Accountant".

In the following example, the Owner of the document is being changed to the Client Custom Field "Accountant" using a Merge Field, and the Workflow Status is being changed to "Completed".

An example of when the Alter Document can be used is documents that have been sent by the client using the New Collaborate Client Uploads folder (refer to Receiving Documents from the Upload Folder). When the documents are imported, a Custom Process with the Alter Document step can be used to file the documents, for example, as "Workpapers".

Add a Task

To add a Task, expand the section, set Create a Task to "On", and then enter the task details.

In the example above, a Task will be created when an invoice is created to send the invoice to the partner for approval. Merge Fields have been used to select the Assignee. Invoices are available for Elite plans only.

Refer to Process Step Details - Create Task.

Add Time

Time in Task automation steps is used in the Capacity Planning and AutoTime functions, available to practices on the FYI Elite plan.

By adding time, you can forecast the time for users required to complete tasks, and even create draft timesheets when the task is complete.

The Time section in the drawer will automatically display when the Create a Task step is enabled.

When Time has been added to an automation step, a clock icon will be displayed in the drawer next to the Time heading.

Field	Details
Allocation	The method used to calculate the time assigned to the task. Fixed - The Default Time value entered in the next field will always be used when the time entry is created, regardless of the size of the client or the Job Time Budget. Relative is used to calculate the time for the Task relative to the total estimated hours for a Job. Relative - Calculates the time relative to all of the tasks on the job. the total of the Default Times for all the Tasks in the Process is calculated. This is then compared to the Estimated Hours for the Job and any "Relative" times are then calculated and proportionately increased or decreased based on the total for the Job that is being considered. For example: The total of all Default Times in the Tasks in the Process is 10 hours. A Task has been set up as Relative, so it will allocate the time proportionate to the estimated total of the Job. The Default Time of this Task is 30 minutes (00:30). The Estimated Hours for one of the Jobs that triggered the Process is 30 hours. For this Job, the Time allocations for this Task will be increased by three times the Default Time. The time allocated for this Task, for this Job, will be 1 hour 30 minutes. The Estimated Hours for a different Job that triggered the Process is 2 hours. For this Job, the Time allocations will decrease and allocate it as one-fifth of the Default Time. The time allocated for this Task, for this Job, will be 6 minutes.
Default Time	Set as the estimated time that the action or Task would take. Time can be added using the hours and minutes format (hh:mm), a whole number, or as a decimal. Decimals will be converted using 6-minute increments. Once entered, the time will be converted to display using the hours and minutes format (hh:mm). Refer to Time Overview. For example, to add 12 minutes you could enter: 00:12 12 0012 0.2
Custom Fields	Used to update the Custom Fields when a time entry is created after completing a task. If you select a Custom Field, a new field will be added to the drawer. Once a Custom Field has been selected, it will be removed from the options available in the Custom Field drop-down list. You can add additional Custom Fields by selecting them from the drop-down. Update the added Custom Field by selecting a value from the drop-down, or clicking the Merge Field. When updating a Custom Field that is a Date, this is set as the "Current Date" by default. Custom Fields on the time entry will be updated using the selections made in the Automation step, along with any values inherited from the job. Note: To inherit from the Job, the Custom Fields must be enabled for both Job and Time.