NetDocuments ndLink is one of the most widely used ND tools, but is also one of the most underutilized. The typical practice we see is to let ndLink run every 15 minutes and pull in profile values from an accounting or practice management database in order to create new matters/cases/projects (Workspaces) in NetDocuments. With just a few changes, you could run ndLink more often, pull in more useful data, and not limit yourself to only working with databases.
A delay of 15 minutes can cause headache when opening a new workspace: that’s 15 minutes before you can profile your emails and start working. This can easily be reduced to 5 minutes by adjusting how much data you are pulling when ndLink runs. Most databases store when a record has been updated, so use this to your advantage and only pull changes or updates in the last 7 days (as opposed to the full list). This will dramatically reduce the amount of data for ndLink to pull and compare, allowing it to run every 5 minutes without tripping over itself. Also, as a secondary measure, set ndLink to pull a full list, no matter the change date, once a day early in the morning. This will keep the full list up to date in case something was changed in NetDocuments accidentally.
Another way to better use ndLink is to pull values needed for other areas besides the Workspace profile values. Want to permanently check an item off your New Hire Checklist? If you have Authors that are not linked to users, ndLink can pull in new Authors from your Time, Billing and Accounting system. You could also create Workspace Types as you need them by pulling this from a Case Management System. You can even pull in office locations, so you don’t have to worry about adding a new office for the next expansion.
Lastly, ndLink will work with any ODBC connection, even one pointing to a text file or Excel file. In other words, it does not have to be a database. This works well with cloud sources where the data can only be exported. One interesting method is to use an Excel sheet that is stored in NetDocuments, and use ndSync to copy the Excel file locally to where ndLink is running, and have ndLink read the Excel file and upload the profile values back to NetDocuments. This allows the profile values to exist in NetDocuments and allows users to add to the profile values without having to make the users Administrators of NetDocuments.
If you are not sure if your ndLink is optimized, just ask yourself, do you ever have to adjust it? Or do you ever enter new profile values in NetDocuments that are also stored somewhere else? The perfect ndLink setup is one that works so well, you forget it exists.
If you have any questions about ndLink and how to optimize your setup, or have any other questions about your document management system, contact the Document Management Team at Affinity by calling 877-676-5492, or simply request a consultation.
