Frequently Asked Questions
				The Questions
				What is Aviator? Do I need a document management system? How is information organized in Aviator? Are there size limitations to Aviator or to the kind of files and information it can support? What type of databases are being used to drive the application? Do I need a separate server or server software to run Aviator? Can Aviator operate on partitioned servers? Do I have to be a Notes user to use Aviator? Can Aviator quickly represent interesting and useful content about a file and link to related information in a variety of ways? Can I point Aviator at a directory which contains a hundred documents, and get it to base a cabinet on those documents? Can personal views be set up for users? What is the search engine system in Aviator? Can I search multiple or single databases? Is full-text search available? What are the search options? Are keyword searches performed on the entire document, or just on the title, author, or document ID? Does Aviator provide fast access and information delivery as well as differential access by rights/permissions? Are there any differences between working in the Notes and Web-based client? Do file sizes affect the performance of Aviator either on the web side or client side? Does Aviator assign a unique, unchanging URL to each library record? Can I attach my e-mail address to a document so that when a file is updated, I am notified of the update? How does the document ID field work?  How does the Thesaurus/Classification system work? Can we replace or customize the thesaurus? Can it search be related terms in the thesaurus? Are there any archiving capabilities? In order to download a document, must a user have Aviator Personal on their PC or can they just use the browser to open and save a document to their hard drive? What type of training is provided by the company?  What type of end-user and administrator documentation does the company offer? Are migration paths for information provided to move from one version to another? Is the software easy to install, or do I need to pay to have an Aviator or other tech person come on site? What kind of support or installation help can I expect to receive? Where are you located, and is there an office near me? If your question is not answered here then please email sales@componentsource.com
				The Answers
				What is Aviator? Aviator is a document management system for Lotus Notes/Domino sites looking for a better way to control their user files. Aviator takes the concept of a shared drive and adds version control, workflow, security and other advanced functionality to your files in a centralized, structured environment. Unlike shared drives or standard Notes templates, Aviator is an effective tool for knowledge management initiatives.  Go To Top     Do I need a document management system? If you work in a networked environment where users work on shared drives and C: drives and possibly also Notes document libraries, you probably have vital information stored and scattered all over the place – and you probably wish you had a better way to organize, manage and control your user files. If your organization is looking to build a true corporate knowledge base that provides a central location for all of your important and shared company information, and you need advanced functionality like version control, workflow and security, then you need a document management system like Aviator.  Go To Top     How is information organized in Aviator? Aviator consists of a Library (the central repository/knowledge base), which contains Cabinets, which contain Documents. Cabinets can be categorized in the Library, and likewise, Documents can be categorized (to multiple levels of categorization) in the Cabinets.  Go To Top     Are there size limitations to Aviator or to the kind of files and information it can support? There are no practical limits to the scalability of Aviator – the only real limitation is the size of the server it is running on. Aviator supports any kind of electronic file format, including multiple files of different formats in the same Aviator document.  Go To Top     What type of databases are being used to drive the application? MSAccess? Fox Pro? Aviator uses Lotus Notes databases.  Go To Top     Do I need a separate server or server software to run Aviator? No – Aviator integrates tightly with your current Domino environment – no additional hardware or server software is needed.  Go To Top     Can Aviator operate on partitioned servers? Yes.  Go To Top     Do I have to be a Notes user to use Aviator? Aviator does require a Domino server but you do not necessarily need to purchase or work on Lotus Notes clients (you can access Aviator on the server through any web browser). But if you are not already running Domino, you will need to at least purchase the Domino server and client licenses to the server.  Go To Top     Can Aviator quickly represent interesting and useful content about a file and link to related information in a variety of ways? Yes. Documents are listed by unique document name, status (released or draft), revision number, date created, document manager, and document profile type. The documents can be also viewed by category, index list, or distribution list for easy browsing. Users can also utilize Notes' DocLinks, or file links (URLs inside the files).  Go To Top     Can I point Aviator at a directory which contains a hundred documents, and get it to base a cabinet on those documents? Yes -- by using Aviator's import function, you can direct an easy import of a specific folder, or even a structure of folders, and it will import any number of documents in those folders into Aviator (you select the import profile which will categorize them in your specified cabinet in the library). One of Aviator's unique features is that it will retain the hierarchical structure of your folder trees and categorize the documents within your cabinet in the same familiar structure, if you choose.  Go To Top     Can personal views be set up for users? Yes, when a user is working on a Notes client, Aviator provides a "favorites" folder as well as special navigator view that allows creation of personal folders to provide unique user views.  Go To Top     What is the search engine system in Aviator? Can I search multiple or single databases? Is full-text search available? Aviator uses Lotus Notes' / Domino's search (srchsite) capability. Yes, you can search single or multiple databases -- users can search the entire library or specific Cabinets (databases). And yes, full-text search is built in.  Go To Top     What are the search options? Are keyword searches performed on the entire document, or just on the title, author, or document ID? You can run a keyword search and/or an attribute search (i.e., search on the document manager, file location, creation date, etc.) -- the entire document (including attachments) and attribute list are full-text indexed and searched.  Go To Top     Does Aviator provide fast access and information delivery as well as differential access by rights/permissions? Yes -- access and delivery is dependent only on your client, server, and network speed. Security/permissions are set at the Library level, Cabinet level, and/or Document level.  Go To Top     Are there any differences between working in the Notes and Web-based client? There is virtually the exact same functionality in the Notes & Web clients. At least an administrator needs access to work on a Notes client for some administrative functions, but for a user, the only differences are that the web does not, for instance, support ODMA, personal folders, or the administrative import and global actions, which are supported in the Notes client.  Go To Top     Do file sizes affect the performance of Aviator either on the web side or client side? The only impact the file size will have depends on your server capacity and connection speed. Aviator itself is not affected by file size. Its unique architecture separates the front-end attributes from the back-end file attachment to allow easy and quick browsing through documents – users only pull up the files they need to actually access, and opening/downloading time is purely dependent on their system capacities.  Go To Top     Does Aviator assign a unique, unchanging URL to each library record? Yes. It uses Notes' document identification system. Aviator’s unique architecture maintains permanent DocLinks and URLs so that users always access the latest version of a document in the library – the links do not need updating every time a new version is created.  Go To Top     Can I attach my e-mail address to a document so that when a file is updated, I am notified of the update? Depending on a user's permissions, you can place yourself on the default distribution list of a document profile, so that every time that profile is used with a document in Aviator, you will receive automatic notifications that the document has been updated. If you are not the document or profile manager, you will have to be placed on the distribution list for the profile or specific document by the manager.  Go To Top     How does the document ID field work? Are numbers automatically successive? What customization options for the document ID are already built into Aviator? Currently, the document ID field is an optional field that is open in the attributes list. There are no default options built in to Aviator, and the numbers/ID field are assigned manually. However, this can be easily customized and made to be a progressive field, based on a customer's requirements (Aviator is shipped with the source code).  Go To Top     How does the Thesaurus/Classification system work? Can we replace or customize the thesaurus? Can it search be related terms in the thesaurus? Aviator uses Notes' thesaurus, which you can customize. And yes, you can search on related terms.  Go To Top     Are there any archiving capabilities? Aviator offers 3 levels of access to cabinets – read/write, read only, and no-access. When combined with the ability to move documents from cabinet to cabinet, it provides powerful archiving functionality.  Go To Top     In order to download a document, must a user have Aviator Personal on their PC or can they just use the browser to open and save a document to their hard drive? A document can be launched or detached to a user's hard drive with a browser normally at any time, or they may choose to download it to Aviator Personal, a customized Lotus Notes database on the user's local workspace that works directly with the Aviator Library. Users may also use our unique download/upload functionality to check out and work with files on the C: drive when they're disconnected from the network  Go To Top     What type of training is provided by the company? We provide whatever suits our customers’ needs best. We typically provide administrator and train-the-trainer training (at standard daily rates). If a company desires classroom-type or individual training for each person in the company, we have business partners, such as Netelligent Concepts, who provide these services that we would refer for additional support.  Go To Top     What type of end-user and administrator documentation does the company offer? We have manuals for training Administrators, Users, and additional documentation on our ODMA client. We also have all of our documentation (including release notes of all current and past releases) available on our website in browsable HTML format.  Go To Top     Are migration paths for information provided to move from one version to another? We provide release notes with every upgrade for our customers, and we post all current and past release notes on our website. Online support is available, and additional help can be provided onsite if necessary.  Go To Top     Is the software easy to install, or do I need to pay to have an Aviator or other tech person come on site? Installation and training are services that we and our authorized Partners offer to ensure that Aviator is installed correctly, agents are set up and running properly, the Library is indexed properly, and that database replication is set up and understood. If a customer is very Notes-savvy and prefers to handle the install and set-up on their own, they may decide to not opt for any of these services and we will just mail them a CD and documentation.  Go To Top     What kind of support or installation help can I expect to receive? Customers receive 60-days of unlimited initial support and a 18% annual maintenance fee provides continuous free technical (code-level) support. Paid application (user-level) support services (after initial 60 days) are available from Aviator or one of our authorized Partners, as are paid consulting, training, and install services.   Go To Top     Where are you located, and is there an office near me? Our home office is in Tucson, Arizona, although we work with and service customers all over the country. We also have a member network of certified Lotus Business Partners who resell and provide full support services for Aviator. Please contact us to learn more about Aviator and whether there is an authorized member of the Aviator Partner Network in your area.  Go To Top

Legal. Copyright 1998-2007. Aviator Software (a Deemag Inc company). All Rights Reserved.