CODEWITHSUNDEEP
filenet-p8filenet-content-enginefilenet
bajji
bajji

Reputation: 1291

FileNet Change Document Class Security not updated

If a document of ClassA is changed to ClassB, security group of the document doesn't change i.e. it still has ClassA security group. I'm trying to understand what could be the reason/benefit/advantage behind this?

I expected the security groups changed to Class but not.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1097

Answers (1)

Andrea
Andrea

Reputation: 6125

In fact, the Documentation says exactly what you summarized in your question:

You can assign a different class to existing document objects. For example, you might add a document and assign it a document class of Manuals because you intend it to be a chapter in an installation manual. Later, you find the document is better placed in your training materials and change the document class to Courseware. Later still, you decide to remove it from the manual and make it a Technical Notice, which has its own document class of Tech Notes®.

Assigning a different class does not:

  • Change the security permissions that the original document class directly applied to that document object. You can change the security by editing the security lists of the document object.
  • Cause the content of existing document objects to be moved. The default storage area and storage policy of the new document class apply only to new instances of the class.

You can also browse the existing versions of a document to examine the history of the class assignments for the document. If your saved searches use the former document class as a search parameter, you might no longer find the document.

I think that the main reason has to be found in FileNet approach, that - being it an ECM and not a DBMS - sets a distinction between content and metadata. This brings some observations to my mind:

  1. The ACL for a particular Document Class are defined in their Default Instance Security. As the name implies, these are the security rules set by default when an instance of that class is created. This does not mean that a strict bound between a Document Class and their ACL exists, just that a default setting exists.
  2. Consider the example in the Documentation: a document has been reclassified from Manual to Courseware. This could mean that some operations have been done on that document, before the class' change. If those operations were done by users that have visibility on Manuals, but not on Courseware, it's not right to brutally hide that document to those users.
  3. Generally speaking, separating the CHANGE_CLASS permission from others (as WRITE, DELETE, etc...) adds a bit of freedom to software designers and administrators that use FileNet. Considering the example above again, hiding the document (or changing the permissions), could be necessary in case of a transition like "Public Administration -> Top Secret", but it could not be the case of "Manuals > Courseware".

Upvotes: 1

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