Vault provides easy-to-use functionality for creating documents and updating document fields in bulk, which works well for most users. However, multichannel content requires users to iterate quickly and often to upload many versions of a document in a single day.

If you use Vault with Engage or CLM Integration, the Multichannel Loader is a bulk creation and update feature built just for you. It allows you to do all of the following at once:

  • Create presentations and slides
  • Add slides to presentations
  • Add Related Sub Presentation and Related Shared Resource relationships
  • Update document fields on slides or presentations
  • Update source files for slides
  • Reorder slides within a presentation

Each time you update an existing document, Vault versions the document using the Create Draft action, ensuring that you follow good versioning practices and your organization can accurately track changes.

The Multichannel Loader also allows you to trigger the Create Presentation action on multiple documents.

How the Loader Works

There are several steps to using the multichannel loader for creating or updating presentations and slides:

  • Start with a valid CSV file that contains a list of the slides and presentations to create or update. The loader prompts you to upload the CSV file and then runs a validation check on it. The validation verifies that the data makes sense, for example, that values are provided for any required fields on a new slide. If validation errors occur, you can update the CSV file. If the problems are in your Vault’s setup, you can make the appropriate configuration changes and re-validate the original CSV file.
  • Once the validation is complete and there are no errors, you continue to the Load Files page where you select the source files or distribution packages for any new or updated slides. The CSV includes the filenames for these files, so Vault can automatically link the appropriate files to the slides specified in the CSV. We recommended that the CRM Media Type field and CLM Content/Engage Content fields always be populated so that Vault will automatically generate a distribution package for the document and push it to the CDN (if necessary).
  • After uploading files, you have an opportunity to review the actions that the Multichannel Loader will perform and confirm that they are correct. If so, you can proceed with the load. You must stay logged in during this process.
  • When Vault has completed your changes, you receive an email confirmation. The email includes an updated version of your CSV file that shows the numeric Document ID for any newly created slides or presentations, as well as a CSV detailing any errors that occurred during the load. These errors include permission or access issues. For example, the loader failed to update Slide A because you do not have the correct document role-based permissions on it.

To use the loader to trigger the Create Presentation action:

  • Start by creating the documents that you want to trigger the action on. You can create these files using the standard document creation process or Vault Loader, but you cannot use Multichannel Loader.
  • In the CSV file, add a row corresponding to each document you want to trigger the action on. Enter field values for the presentation and slides that Vault will generate.
  • The name__v and lifecycle__v fields in the CSV correspond to the created presentation. Add slide.name__v and slide.lifecycle__c columns to correspond to the created slides. You’ll only use these fields when triggering the Create Presentation action.

About CSV Files

The structure of your CSV file will vary based on the Vault’s configuration. For example, some Vaults have required fields that do not exist on other Vaults.

CSV Columns

This table describes the columns that are universal across all Vaults.

Content Integration Column Heading Description
All All document_id__v Numeric document ID, used when referencing the document through the API and in the Doc Info page URL; if creating a new slide or presentation, this value should be blank. If updating an existing slide or presentation, you can use the document ID or External ID field value to identify the correct document. When you specify the document ID for an update, you can use the CSV load to edit the document’s External ID value.
All All external_id__v Standard External ID document field; when updating an existing slide or presentation, you can use the External ID value to identify the document. If you’ve also specified the document ID, you can use this column to edit the document’s current External ID value. When creating a new slide or presentation, you can specify the External ID value and then use that value to reference the item elsewhere in the CSV.
All All name__v Name document field; this is required for new documents. (You cannot use auto-naming with Multichannel Loader.)
All All Type Specifies the kind of document: Slide, Shared, or Presentation. Slide and Shared are both Multichannel Slide documents, but the latter is set as a Shared Resource. Presentation is a Multichannel Presentation binder.
All All lifecycle__v Name (Binder Lifecycle, etc.) of the slide or presentation lifecycle; this is required for new documents.
Slide All Presentation Link Indicates the presentation that the slide belongs to, using the External ID value or document ID of the presentation
Slide All Fields Only Indicates whether the loader should only update fields, or also upload a new ZIP distribution package; if there are only field updates, enter Yes or True. If there is a new file to upload, enter No or False.
Slide CLM slide.related_shared_resource__v External ID or document ID of the target slide for the Related Shared Resource relationship
Slide CLM slide.related_sub_pres__v External ID or document ID of the target presentation for the Related Sub Presentation relationship
Slide All slide.filename Filename for the ZIP distribution package; this must match the file that you upload later.
Slide All slide.crm_media_type__v CRM Media Type document field; possible values are: Image, Video, PDF, HTML
Other All Create Presentation Indicates (true, false) whether Vault should initiate a Create Presentation action; when setting this field to true, the Document ID/External ID should reference an existing document that is not a Multichannel Presentation or Multichannel Slide.
Slide All slide.name__v Name document field for slides generated through the Create Presentation action
Slide All slide.lifecycle__v Name (CRM Content Lifecycle, etc.) of the slide lifecycle for slides generated through the Create Presentation action

Formatting Document Field Column Headers

When adding document fields to your CSV, it’s important to use the right format for column headers. Regular document fields use the format:

[type].[field name]

Type options are slide. and pres. Field names are accessible within your Vault, but look similar to audience_type__c.

For example, the CRM Media Type field on a slide would become slide.crm_media_type__v in a CSV column.

Formatting Object Reference Field Column Headers

When creating a column header for an object reference field (Product Abbreviation, Study Number, etc.), use the format:

[type].[object name].[field name]

For example, the Product Name field for the product referenced by a slide would become slide.product__v.name__v in the CSV.

Note that the object field you use must be unique within the object. You cannot use non-unique fields like Therapeutic Area.

Formatting Field Values

In your CSV, field values must follow the correct format, according to the field type. For some, like text fields or picklists, this is simple. The table below provides details for the more complex field types.

Field Type Format & Rules Examples
Yes/No Accepts Yes or No, as well as True or False True
Yes
Date Accepts yyyy-mm-dd or mm/dd/yyyy format 2013-03-29
03/29/2013
DateTime Accepts yyyy-mm-dd’T’hh:mm:ss.sssZ format 2013-03-29T14:55:03.000Z

Sample CSV

If you need help getting started with your CSV, download this example file and use it as a template. Your CSV may need additional columns to support custom required fields in your Vault.

How to Use the Loader

To create new content or update existing content using the Multichannel Loader:

  1. Navigate to the Multichannel Loader tab.
  2. Click Choose and select your CSV file.
  3. If there are validation errors, open the CSV file on your computer, update, save, and re-upload the file. If the errors are the result of an incorrect Vault configuration, update your Vault’s settings and click Revalidate.
  4. Click Next to load the next page.
  5. Click Choose and select your files. The filenames must match what is specified in the CSV.
  6. When upload is complete, click Next.
  7. Review the changes that will occur. Click Load to start the process if everything looks correct.
  8. The Load Status page opens. If any error prevents the load from starting, this page will notify you. Otherwise, a progress bar shows the current status. You’ll also receive an email notification when the load is complete. You must stay logged in for the duration of the loading process, but can navigate away from this page. After navigating away, you cannot return to view the progress bar.
  9. Once the load is complete, you can open the CRM Publishing tab to sync with CRM, if needed.

The following permissions control actions for the Multichannel Loader:

Type Permission Label Controls
Security Profile Application: Multichannel Loader Ability to access the Multichannel Loader tab; by default, this permission is only granted to users with the standard System Admin or Vault Owner security profiles.
Document Type (Multichannel Presentation) Create Binder Ability to create a Multichannel Presentation binder using the Multichannel Loader
Document Type (Multichannel Slide) Create Document Ability to create a Multichannel Slide document using the Multichannel Loader
Document Role Edit Fields Ability to update document field values or renditions for an existing document or binder
Document Role Edit Document Ability to update the ZIP file on an existing document
Document Role Version Ability to version an existing document or binder, which occurs automatically when you update via the Multichannel Loader
Document Role Start Workflow Ability to use the Create Presentation action on a document (if Atomic Security for Documents: Active Workflow Actions is not enabled)
Document Role Multi-Channel Actions Ability to use the Create Presentation action on a document (if Atomic Security for Documents: Active Workflow Actions is enabled)

Localization

This feature is not localized to other languages. It is available in English only. We expect to support localization in a future release.