Managing Knowledge › How to Use Documents in the Knowledge Base

How to Use Documents in the Knowledge Base

Knowledge documents provide you with information about knowledge that is stored in the knowledge base. Creating quality knowledge requires input from several individuals. Each individual is responsible for performing specific tasks throughout various stages in the lifecycle of a knowledge document. Knowledge documents reside in the knowledge base and are managed as part of the following ongoing process:

1. Identify content to include in the knowledge base.
2. Create a knowledge document.

   Knowledge documents are placed into categories that some organizations assign to owners.

   Note: When a document is created or updated, it is placed in an owner Inbox. Until items are published, the items in the Inbox do not appear as resolutions and are not added to the knowledge base.

3. Revise the document.

   After a document arrives in an Inbox folder on the scoreboard, users can perform their assigned tasks by modifying their documents according to their assigned roles.

   All users with full (read/write) permission to the document can modify the document. The current owner has full permissions to the document, but not necessarily have explicit write permissions. Users can create versions or roll back to a previous version when a problem with the document is found.

4. Submit the document.

   In addition submission from the customer or employee self-service interface, knowledge can also be submitted from CA SDM. This option lets the analyst submit a new resolution from an existing ticket. This option also provides a link between a problem and its resolution, and can help other users with similar problems find a resolution.

5. Publish the document.

   After a document has passed through the complete approval process cycle, it can be published. A document that has been published becomes part of the viewable knowledge base on the start date, which is the current date by default. The document is only viewable by groups that have been granted access rights to read it. A user with full permissions can edit a published document.

6. Evaluate and decide whether to perform the following tasks:
   • Unpublish the document—The owner of the document, a knowledge manager, or administrator disallows publishing the document for editing purposes.
   • Create a Rework Version—Users with full editing permissions can create a rework-draft version of a published document while it remains online and available for viewing and searches. A rework version starts as a copy of the document that is replaced in the knowledge base after it is verified and republished.
   • Retire the document—The owner of the document, a knowledge manager, or a system administrator can retire the document from the knowledge base.

   The tasks that are performed and who performs each task can be defined to meet the approval process structure that exists in an organization.

Note: You can track knowledge activities from the Event Log tab on contact detail pages. For example, if an end user views a knowledge document, the event log updates to display the action performed and a link to the document. The event log also tracks the duration the user had the document opened.