Project Navigator allows users to easily manage their documents in a secure environment with powerful tools designed for their convenience. With additional CADD and MS Office file integration users can realize productivity gains immediately.

Project Navigator plays a key role in coordinating and managing complex projects. Handy management tools and organizational aids make these tasks seem easy.

Accessing current and complete information through TIMS3 enables knowledge workers to have a framework with which to make informed and timely decisions.

Document icons define the status of a document - currently checked or copied-out. Detail view also notes who has the document currently, on what workstation and when it was checked out. Document requests are validated against the user's rights before they are allowed to check-out or copy-out documents.

TIMS Project Navigator: MS Explorer Type Interface

New files can be easily entered into the system through one of four ways: drag-n-drop from MS Explorer or desktop, enter a new file from server or workstation, create from seed file, or enter a placeholder for a hard copy or archived document. With easy document and project organization both users and administrators will benefit.

Using Windows file association PNav allows users to manage any type of file. On double clicking a document in TIMS3, the document is automatically checked out and launched within its own host application. There is special integration with Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint) and CAD graphic files (AutoCAD, MicroStation, Solidworks and Unigraphics) to empower and improve productivity for users.

PNav can list references both from reference to master files and from master to reference. As well, when CAD files are checked out their reference files are automatically copied out for review. If users double click to launch a checked-out master file, it's reference files will automatically be updated from the system.

Users can easily create over 1,000 different revisions of each document. Each revision will be numbered in order, compressed on NTFS drives and locked for view only access. Simply create revisions or roll back using drag-n-drop functionality.

Use pack-n-go zipping of files and associated reference files to quickly and easily package documents for transport. Pack-n-go can automatically include reference files to the master files being zipped. Pack-n-go is able to automatically generate an MS Outlook e-mail message with the zip file attachment.

Addition of custom tools such as viewing and bulk printing programs are easily integrated into PNav.

PNav includes training projects and documents complete with an exercise manual for easy learning and adoption.

Access and security to files on the server can be easily controlled by the front-end application. Additional level of NT security can be applied at file level to determine which users/groups may access them.

Files copied out for review or checked out for editing are downloaded to the client workstation. This allows low server load during edit operations.

While checked out for editing the server file is locked both in the database and at disk file level. This ensures that no two users can edit a file at the same time. All checked out server files remain available for copy out (review) purposes. A warm copy of the file always exists on the server so users always have an immediate backup copy.

The most up to date version of checked out files is always returned to the server on a nightly basis to provide safe backup and informing others of work in progress changes. This ensures that only the file server needs to have a daily backup routine.

The database engine behind TIMS3 is either an MS Access, MS SQL or Oracle database. It's recommended that for systems greater than 15 users, the database should be either MS SQL or Oracle. TIMS3 is ODBC compliant to allow integration with external systems.

Full document tracking all transactions for history and resource analysis.