WhatsDocs Help / Profiling documents

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Document Profiling & Metadata

Profiling attaches essential business context to your files — such as Client, Document Category, Fiscal Year, Project, and Task. This guarantees document authenticity, generates a permanent UDIN, and enables instant search across your firm.

What Profiling Means for Your Business

In standard Windows file saving, files are named arbitrarily and stored in disparate folders, making it difficult for colleagues to locate prior work or prepare audit binders.

The Profiling Advantage:

Profiling registers your document in your firm's central ERP/Document Archive. It creates a digital record with an audit trail, links the file to the client's financial binder, and generates a structured, searchable filename automatically.

The Metadata Profile Fields, Explained

When you create or profile a document, you complete a quick metadata form in the task pane:

Field Name Requirement Business Description
Document Category Required The professional classification of the file (e.g., Audit, Income Tax Return, Legal Agreement, Financial Statement, Advisory Report).
Document Name Required The formal business title for the file (e.g., Statutory Audit Report, Form 3CD, Board Resolution). You can select from standard names or enter a custom name.
Client / Customer Required The corporate or individual client entity registered in your central ERP.
Fiscal Year Required The applicable financial accounting period (e.g., 2025-2026, 2024-2025).
Project & Task Optional Links the deliverable to an active client engagement. Selecting a Client dynamically filters available open Projects; selecting a Project filters active Tasks. Completed and cancelled tasks are excluded.
Allocate to Team Optional Assigns responsibility for the document to a specific colleague. If left blank, it defaults automatically to your authenticated user account.

UDIN & Standardized File Naming

Every document profiled in WhatsDocs receives a Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN). This UDIN is embedded inside the file's custom properties and used to construct a structured filename:

Standard Filename Structure:

{UDIN}_{Category}_{DocumentName}_{Client}.{ext}
Example: 25260089_Tax_Return_Form_3CD_Reliance_Industries.docx

This standardized naming ensures that files downloaded or shared across teams are instantly identifiable without ambiguity.

Add an Open Document to WhatsDocs (Profile Unmanaged File)

If you have an existing unmanaged document open on your desktop (for example, a file sent via email or copied from a USB drive) that is not yet registered in WhatsDocs:

Steps

  1. Open the file and click Add to WhatsDocs

    Located in the Profile group on the WhatsDocs ribbon tab.

  2. Enter Document Metadata

    Select Category, Document Name, Client, and Fiscal Year in the task pane.

  3. Choose Save vs. Save & Close

    Click Save to register the document, embed its UDIN, and relocate it into Documents\WhatsDocs\ while keeping it open for editing. Click Save & Close to upload the file to the central cloud archive and close your local copy immediately.

Attach a File to an Existing Client Record (Attach to Client)

Use this when a document placeholder has already been pre-registered on the server (for example, via Bulk Creation or a document checklist) and you want to attach your active file directly to that slot:

Steps

  1. Click Attach to Client

    In the Profile group on the ribbon.

  2. Select the target Client & pending slot

    WhatsDocs displays a list of pending, unattached document records for the selected client.

  3. Confirm Attachment

    The active file's binary is uploaded directly to that record, its UDIN is stamped into the document, and the pending status is updated to active.

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