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Records Management and FileMaster Instructions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

• ABOUT FILEMASTER
• STARTING FILEMASTER
• SEARCHING FOR FILES (File Enquiry)
  • Searching By File Number
  • Searching By Text
• CREATING A FILE
  • Guidelines for Data Entry
  • Creating Documents within a File
• MOVING FILES
• REPORTS AND BARCODE LABELS
  • Reports
  • Barcode Labels
• SEARCHING FOR BOXES
• USING PICKLISTS
  • Creating a New PickList
• FILEMASTER HEADERS
• FILEMASTER CLASSIFICATIONS

ABOUT FILEMASTER

FileMaster is an easy and effective records management program for managing hardcopy documents. You can use it for current filing and archived documents.

The program enables you to:

• Create files and file parts
• Find the current location of files
• Search for records by either file number or file title
• Move files to different locations so you can keep track of them
• Print reports, lists and labels for your files
• Allows restrictions for the viewing and editing of files to maintain confidentiality.

STARTING FILEMASTER

Double click the FileMaster icon on your desktop

The program will start and you will be prompted to enter your password.

Once you have entered your password, the screen will appear blank. FileMaster is ready to use.

SEARCHING FOR FILES (File Enquiry)

On the toolbar at the top of the FileMaster screen, click FileMaster and select File Enquiry from the drop-down menu.

Or you can type Ctrl + F (keyboard commands are indicated on the drop-down menu).

The Search box will appear. Select a search option by clicking on the yellow box on the top left hand side. A drop down menu will appear. Select using the mouse.

The common search options are:

By File Number if you know the alphanumeric file number eg SVS/0031

By Text searches for text (words and numbers) in the FileMaster file. This is useful if you are looking for records on a particular subject.

Searching By File Number

Searching by File Number is useful (and quick) if you know the alphanumeric number of the file eg SVS/0031.

Type the File Number in the white box and click Search on the bottom right hand side.

This will take you to the FileMaster file.

You can search by ticking the Find by range of file numbers box.

Enter the first and last file numbers of the files you want listed. Click Search on the bottom right hand side.

This will take you to the Selection screen (list of files). Select a file by double-clicking the mouse.

Searching By Text

When you select the option, By Text, the Search box will appear as shown.

Select the fields you wish to search from the Search In box on the right hand side.

You can select one, two or all categories by clicking on the mouse and dragging until each field is highlighted.

• File Title
• Comments
• Document Text

Type the text you wish to search on in the Text Entry box (large white box in the middle).

FileMaster will search on each individual word and also parts of words.

Eg Searching for John will also bring up files with Johnston

Limiting your search

To decrease the number of hits (records returned by a search), you can tick the Exact match on words box on the left hand side. This means that the search results will only show files that contain the exact word(s) you typed.

eg Searching for John will only show files with the word John (not Johnston) in the fields you searched.

To further decrease the number of hits, click on the Limit Search box on the bottom left hand side of the Search box.

Click Search at the bottom right of the screen.

The Limit Search screen will appear.

Click on the parameter you wish to limit the search by eg File Headers. Then select the limit criteria eg SVS Services.

Once all limit search criteria is entered, click OK.

The Selection Screen

Searching by text or by a range of file numbers will take you to the Selection screen.

This is a list of the files that match the search criteria you entered. Below is an example of a search by text for records.

The files can be listed either by File Number or by File Title (order shown by text in bold). Click on your preference.

• To highlight a file, click the mouse once.
• To select a file (go to the file screen) double-click the mouse.

Action buttons on the right hand side:

Return to Find Returns to the file enquiry screen to do another search

Remove Selection Removes highlighted records from the list

Print Selection Prints list (you can select the details you want included eg location, comments, documents etc)

Example of a FileMaster File

A FileMaster file appears as shown below. It shows the detail about the file.

Action buttons on the right hand side:

Find Returns to the File Enquiry screen to do another search

<< Go to the file number or file part preceding the one you are looking at eg SVS/0085\3

>> Go to the next file number or file part eg SVS/0086\2

Selection Return to the Selection screen (list of files)

Edit This will only appear black for files that you have access to edit. Otherwise it will be grey as shown above.

History Displays the movement of the file to different locations (if applicable)

Document Links to the list of key documents in the file. The word will appear in blue and underlined if there are documents listed in the file.Otherwise, the word will appear black.

CREATING A FILE

On the toolbar at the top of the FileMaster screen, click FileMaster and select Create File.

Or you can type Ctrl + T (keyboard commands are indicated in the drop down menu).

The file will appear with empty fields.

Use Tab to move through the fields.

To go back to a field you can use the mouse (or keep pressing Tab).

Some details are entered automatically eg Date Raised.

Some fields require you to enter data before allowing you to proceed eg. Subject/Title and Classification.

If you are going to be creating continuous boxes, you can tick the Clone Data box on the RHS. This will copy most of the information so you dont have to retype everything each time.

Guidelines for Data Entry

Header: The three letters indicate your work group - school, division or unit. (University Organisational Unit 2)

Extension: Each header has a default numerical sequence from 0001 to 9999. FileMaster automatically enters the next available number. You can override this by typing another number. Each file has a unique number FileMaster will indicate if the number you have chosen is already in use.

File Number: Appears automatically - combination of the Header and Extension.

Once you have created a new file it is important to write the File Number on the folder so that you can keep track of the hard copy files you have entered on FileMaster.

For example:

Subject/Title Type in the title of the file. It is important to choose a title that appropriately describes the contents.

Other people will need to identify the file (now or in the future) so it is important you use subject or key words. Dont use shortened words or acronyms (unless you put an explanation in the Comments).

You may also want to include dates to separate a range of files with the same title. This will make it easier to identify when searching you will be able to see which file you need from the selection list instead of having to go into each individual file.

For example: Group Certificates 1996 1997

Classification This describes the type of record the file is eg Committee papers, photos, bound reports etc.

To obtain a list of classifications on the screen, type ?? in the box and press enter. A drop-down menu will appear select the most appropriate description by double-clicking the mouse.

Date Raised Automatically appears the date the file was created.

Contents From If you are entering documents, leave these fields blank FileMaster automatically enters the dates of the first and last documents. If you enter data into this field, this automatic feature is switched off and cannot be restored.

You can enter the dates in a variety of formats you must use the same format in both boxes.

Year only YYYY

Month and Year MM (space or /) YYYY

Day, Month and Year DD (space or /) MM (space or /) YYYY

FileMaster automatically formats the month to appear as words eg 06 = Jun

Home Location Automatically entered by FileMaster this is linked to the Header.

Current Location FileMaster will automatically enter a Current Location generally it is the same as the Home Location.

You can override this by typing the location code in the box. If you are unsure of the code, type ?? and press enter. A drop-down menu will appear. Select the correct location by clicking the mouse.

LifeCycle Please ignore the function has been switched off.

Review Date Enter in the date as 31/12/2XXX (year of review)

This is the date the contents need to be reviewed for destruction.

Comments This is where additional information that may be useful can be entered eg notes, summary of contents or the full title of acronyms (AVCC Australian Vice Chancellors Committee).

This field is used when files are archived and sent to off-site storage. The box number and barcode number are recorded here eg SVS Box 40.

To finish creating a file, click OK (on the top right hand side). If you do not want to save the file you have created, click on Cancel the file will not be saved or recorded.

Creating Documents within a File

To list individual documents contained in the file, click on the Document button on the right hand side of the Create File box.

You can only create documents once you have completed the process of creating a file (entering the details).

The Documents box will appear note that the File Number and Title appear at the top of the box

Use Tab to move through the fields.

Folio FileMaster does not list documents in date order. It lists them by the assigned folio number. Eg 1, 2, 3 etc

To ensure documents are listed in date order (to make it easier when searching), you may wish to go up in 5 or 10 number increments so that additional documents can be added at a later stage.

The program will automatically select the next available folio number. You can override this by typing in the number you wish to use. Dated

Date of the document you must enter the full date, that is day, month and year.

You can use numbers or words.

Pressing Tab will take you to the box underneath. This is where you type the text describing the document title, description or name of document.

Save_Close Saves the documents and returns to the file screen.

Close Close the screen without saving the document.

Save Doc Saves the document and returns to the document screen you can then enter
more documents.

The complete file and documents have now been created.

MOVING FILES

Sometimes files need to be sent or forwarded to different people or areas. The movement of files can be tracked on FileMaster by changing the location. eg The Records Management Team regularly changes the location of files that have been sent to the archives.

To move a file, you first need to search for, and find the record. Refer to instructions on

Searching for Files.

The record needs to be opened up to the File Screen as shown below.

On the toolbar at the top of the FileMaster screen, click on Movement and select File Movement.

The following screen will appear.

The file details will appear automatically.

Enter the appropriate location code. Refer to the list provided. You can also use the help feature ?? and press tab. However, this does not always list all current or home locations.

You can add a comment in the Note box. This is useful if the file is being forwarded to a particular person in the location. This enables you to keep closer track your files. Please note there is no spell check. Once you have entered the comment, it appears permanently in the audit history and cannot be amended.

Click OK or press Enter.

REPORTS AND BARCODE LABELS

There are a variety of reports available on FileMaster. The 3 most commonly used reports are:

File Listing list of files by a particular category eg by header, by location

File and Location Listing similar to the above, but the location information is included (useful when there are several locations used within the work area eg SVS1, SVS2 etc

Barcode Labels

Reports

To view the reports available, click FileMaster on the top toolbar, and select Reports.

The following menu will appear. Double-click to select a report. The types of reports are listed on the left, and the options available are on the right.

To view the report information, select Print on the bottom right hand corner. This will not automatically print the report. The following screen shows the report options available.

Select the header(s) you require.

If you wish to further limit the selection, eg particular location or classification, select the Limit Search Area option at the bottom. This will bring up the same Limit Search screen as when you are searching for files.

To preview the report, select print to screen click on Printer on the right hand side (below Cancel button) to reveal the drop down menu (circled).

Barcode Labels

Barcode labels contain the following information:

• File Number
• Classification
• File Title

The labels required are AVERY L7163 (7 x 2). Please note, the barcode itself is not used.

In the report listing, select Barcode Labels. You can choose to print labels for a range of files (including a single file) or for files contained in a picklist (custom selection of files).

Click on Print once you have made your selection.

If you select to print from a Range of Files, the following screen will appear.

Enter the range of files numbers eg SVS/0010 to SVS/0015 as shown. To print a label for a single file, enter the file number in both boxes.

BE AWARE: If you do not enter a file number in both boxes, FileMaster will ask whether you want to print labels from the file you entered, onwards. For some group this could be thousands.

You can select the starting position for the labels (click once) this is useful if you are printing a small number and wish to use up sheets of labels.

You can select print to screen to see what the labels look like. Click on Printer' on the right hand side (below Cancel button) to reveal the drop down menu.

When you are ready to print, click OK.

To print from a picklist, select Print From Picklist and click Print. In the box that appears,

Select the picklist (listed alphabetically by title)

Indicate whether you wish to sort by file number or file title

If required, change the starting position

If you want to preview the labels, select print to screen.

Click OK when you have finished.

SEARCHING FOR BOXES

On the toolbar at the top of the FileMaster screen, click FileMaster and select File Enquiry from the drop-down menu.

Or you can type Ctrl + F (keyboard commands are indicated on the drop-down menu).

The Search box will appear.

Select a search option by clicking on the yellow box on the top left hand side. A drop down menu will appear.

Select By Text using the mouse.

Select the Comments field in the Search In box as this is where the box numbers and barcodes are recorded in FileMaster.

In the text entry box, type the box number you are looking for. You can also use this to check that the box you are about to create doesnt already exist.

Click on Search. If several files are contained in the box, a list will appear the selection screen. If only one file is contained in the box, the File Screen will appear. If No Match Found appears, then the box does not exist.

When a list of files appears, it is a good idea to click on each file and check that the file is contained in that particular box.

To do this, you can either use the mouse, or click on the first file and use the cursor keys.

By doing this you can check the comments of the file without having to open the file itself.

Sometimes, the list may include files that are not exactly what you were searching for. For example, if you search for SVS Box 2, you would also get SVS Box 20, and 200. You can limit the search by ticking the Exact Match on Words option. However, we recommend that you check through the list as there may also be other words or numbers entered in the comments that may match your search criteria eg dates.

USING PICKLISTS

Using PickLists enables you to create and store a particular list of files that you are working with.

** Please note we recommend that you know how to competently search for files before you attempt to create PickLists. **

PickLists can either be:

Public all FileMaster users can view/add and delete files in the list, but only you, as the owner of the list, can amend the list name or delete the list.

Private only you can view/change the list.

To create or view PickLists, click FileMaster on the toolbar at the top of the FileMaster screen and select PickLists.

A box will appear listing your Private Lists (the yellow box on the left hand-side will be empty if you have not created any lists).

To view a previously created list, select from the list on the left hand-side.

To create a new list, click on New List.

To view Public lists, click on Show Public.

Click on Close to exit the box.

Creating a New PickList

After clicking New List (circled) in the box shown above, 2 yellow boxes will appear below the list on the bottom left hand side.

In the middle yellow box, type the name of the list (example shown).

Select whether the list will be Private or Public (refer to explanation at the top of the page).

The lower yellow box is useful for adding further descriptions eg purpose of the list (example shown). This will appear when you select the list,

Click Ok on the right hand side when you have finished.

You can add file to the list at several points:

When you are searching for files:

From the Selection Screen:

In the Selection Screen, click on Add to PickList.

The Select PickList screen will appear. Select the list you want to add the files to and click Add to List (circled).

From the File Screen:

Click the PickList button

The Select PickList screen will appear as above

When you are creating a file:

Tick the Add to PickList option and choose the list from the Select PickList box that appears. The name of the list you have selected will appear on the screen.

FILEMASTER HEADERS

Please contact the Records Management & Copyright Office on 22189 or 22345if you have any queries about your groups header.

FILEMASTER CLASSIFICATIONS

Please contact the Records Management & Copyright Office on 22189 or 22345if you have any queries about using classifications.

NOTE DO NOT USE UNKNOWN, TEMP OR CONFID

 

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