What are AODocs libraries? – AODocs Knowledge Base

A library is a collection of AODocs documents.

AODocs provides different types of library designed to address different use cases:

Team Folders
This is the simplest AODocs library type. Team Folders provide a collaborative experience similar to an unmanaged Google Drive folder. End users can add documents to their folders by drag-and-drop from their My Drive or their device. They can also save Gmail attachments directly to AODocs. They can freely move files and folders around and share files with their teammates. Team Folders are for collaborative work. They help boost productivity and flexibility.
Secured Folders
These libraries give administrators greater control over Google Drive permissions. This includes defining who can change document sharing permissions. Adminstrators can also protect the folder structure. Secured Folders let your users access managed files from Google Drive. They provide control for confidential documents. They help you manage business-critical files in an ogranized way. Plus, they handle documents for structured business processes.
Document Management libraries
These libraries offer the full range of tools to help you organize your documents in a structured and effective way. You can create workflows, use business apps, and connect your library to ERP, CRM, and other enterprise tools. In this way, AODocs helps you transform enterprise documents into controlled, actionable intelligence.

Note: Attached files in Team Folders and Secured Folders are stored in Google Drive. You can't use other storage platforms for Team Folders or Secured Folders. However, if you’re a Google Workspace customer with an active AODocs Content Services subscription, you can choose any compatible storage platform for the attached files in your Document Management libraries. For example, you can use Google Cloud Storage or Azure Blob Storage. Learn more: Where is my content stored?

The table below shows a comparison of the features available in each type of library.

Only AODocs customers with a Document Management license can use Document Management libraries. Some advanced features in Team Folders and Secured Folders also need an AODocs Document Management license. These features are identified with a star * in the list below.

Comparing the features of AODocs libraries


	Team Folder	Secured Folder	Document Management library
Google Drive integration
View libraries in the Drive interface View the folder structure in Google Drive
Library picker Easily access your libraries
Search in Folder Narrow keyword search to a specific folder
Office files collaboration Edit and save Microsoft Office files in the Drive interface Lock files against concurrent modifications
Drag and drop a file from PC Create a file in the library by dragging it from your device
Drag and drop files among library folders Move files to folders in the same library, using the Google Drive drag-and-drop feature
Set library permissions Set library permissions in the Drive interface
Set permissions on files and subfolders Set permissions for all subfolders and files in the Drive interface
Upload multiple files at once Upload more than one file by dragging them from your device
Save Gmail attachment Use the Google Drive feature to save a Gmail attachment from the Gmail interface into a library
SECURITY MANAGEMENT
Company ownership All files are owned by a corporate storage account
Secured sharing Prevent users from sharing files or folders
File recovery Dedicated trash per folder with configurable retention time
Inheritance permissions management Manage inheritance of permissions on subfolders Block inheritance of permissions on subfolders
Check-out / Check-in Lock a document, preventing other users from editing it when checked out
Lock the folder structure Prevent non-administrator users from creating, modifying or deleting subfolders
Domain and user allowlists Prevent users from sharing folders with external not-allowlisted users or domains
Define who can delete files Allow only library administrators to delete files
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Multiple document classes Create one or more document classes
Document relations Create links between documents in the same document class
Document properties Tag your documents with any type of property
Multiple attached files Attach one or more files (or none) to your AODocs documents
Google Drive Store attached files in Google Drive
Google Cloud Storage Store attached files in Google Cloud Storage
Azure Blob Storage Store attached files in Azure Blob Storage
Workflow Define business workflows in a few clicks, with custom workflow steps and notifications
Version control Manage multiple versions of documents
Office files collaboration Edit and save Microsoft Office files in the Drive interface Lock files against concurrent modifications
Convert emails into documents Convert incoming emails to AODocs documents Convert email attachments to Google files
Advanced search Narrow your search with filters, browsers and search operators
Audit log Record user activity: library configuration changes, document views, and document history
Folio Create pre-configured libraries for specific business use cases
File templating service Replace placeholders in Google files, Word files and PDF forms with properties
Document Assembler Insert the content of one or more files into another file to assemble a document using pre-defined pieces of content
CUSTOMIZATION/INTEGRATION
APIs Access, create, and update documents Trigger workflow actions from external applications
Custom scripts Attach custom scripts to specific events such as document updates or workflow activity
Primary data management Synchronize AODocs data lists with your ERP, CRM and other business apps

These features are available in Team Folders and Secured Folders if you have an AODocs Document Management user license

Comments

6 comments

Hamish Drewry
August 15, 2019 10:13

The documentation states 'Team Folder libraries: the simplest AODocs library type is called AODocs Team Folders, and provides a collaborative experience very similar to an unmanaged Google Drive folder' - Why would you use Team Folder libraries when you could just use Google Drive?

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Permanently deleted user
August 16, 2019 17:50

There are several advantages to using Team Folder in comparison to an unmanaged Google Drive folder or a Shared Drive:
1. corporate ownership: all the files and folders are owned by the storage account and can not be deleted by the users
2. library trash: any file or folder deleted (by an admin or other authorized user) will end up in the AODocs library trash and can be restored from there
3. Sub Folder permissions different from the root folder: currently Google Shared Drive does not allow you to have different permissions on the subfolder level
4. Workflow in the Google Drive interface: your team folder will have only one document class but you can activate the workflow on it and perform your workflow action directly from the Google Drive interface using the AODocs Smartbar
The list goes on, essentially, every check on the first column of the table is a feature or set of features.

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Tina Mowen
July 06, 2020 15:31

It looks like locking a document is possible in the Google Drive integration for Team Folders but locking documents with check-in/check out is listed as Secure Folder. Can someone help me understand? Is it correct that checking out a document is only in the AODocs interface for secure folders?

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Permanently deleted user
July 06, 2020 20:49

Indeed, in Team Folders the concept of version management is not available in the library configuration (Document Class > Advanced > Version settings).
If you want to work with documents with check-out/check-in features, you will need to use either Secured Folders or Document Management libraries.

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Leah KR
November 07, 2024 01:57

I am curious about once a choice is made on the use of a file storage type, can you change to a diferent type later?

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Catherine Heywood
November 07, 2024 09:03

Hello Leah,
It's possible to switch the storage platform of a Drive library to Google Cloud Storage or Azure Blob storage. Our Service team manages this process on behalf of customers. You might find this useful:
https://support.aodocs.com/hc/en-us/articles/4468726590363-What-is-the-Library-Switcher
Have a great day!

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Comparing the features of AODocs libraries

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