Review Document Usage and Keep Reference Information Current - Article
Summary
Reference information needs an owner after it is uploaded. Resource Library usage reporting helps you see which files people use, while maintenance reminders and expiration help keep the collection current. Use this evidence to improve product support and reference quality without treating a download as proof of understanding.
Use this article to:
- Find document-use reporting and export the available report
- Interpret upload and download evidence appropriately
- Establish review, replacement and expiration practices
Use reporting to support a maintenance decision
Document demand can reveal practical needs that training completion alone does not show. A service manual may receive frequent downloads because partners use it on the job. An unused duplicate may need clearer placement or retirement. Neither result, by itself, establishes that a document is accurate or that its readers followed the procedure.
Use the report with the people responsible for product support or operational content. An illustrative monthly review can combine frequently accessed manuals, approaching review dates and support questions. This helps distinguish useful reference material from a collection that is growing without an owner.
Open document usage and export the report
Reporting on document usage must be enabled under Settings → Resource library, and your account must have the relevant reporting access. Open Documents usage from the Resource Library. The report route records file upload and download use and provides Search and Get report.
Use the available view to locate the relevant document, then select Get report to download the report. Check the export’s columns, records and reporting period before combining it with other evidence. An empty library or a collection with no recorded usage can show No files to show; an empty result is not evidence that report configuration failed.
Keep the exported file within the organization’s normal reporting practices. The report can contain information about resource use. Share it with the people responsible for the collection and the relevant audience, rather than treating a report download as permission for unrestricted distribution.
Interpret the evidence at the right level
| Observation | Useful interpretation | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| A manual is downloaded repeatedly | It may be valuable reference material or difficult to retain locally | That everyone read or understood it |
| A document has little recorded use | Check placement, filename, audience and continuing relevance | That the subject has no business value |
| Upload or replacement activity is recorded | Maintainers are changing the collection | That the replacement is approved or has the intended expiration |
| A learner completes related training | The Training Activity’s requirements were met | That every adjoining manual was opened |
If your process needs a recorded acknowledgement, use an appropriate learning or attestation mechanism. Do not infer an acknowledgement from a library download. Build Quizzes and Assessments with Question Set covers the assessment object; confirm that the chosen confirmation workflow records the evidence your process requires.
Establish a review rhythm
Assign a content owner and a review date for each important document family. A product-release team may review manuals when a model changes. An SOP owner may review references at a defined operational interval. A partner-enablement team may review both after recurring support questions reveal an unclear instruction.
Include audience suitability in that review. A document can be technically current and still contain internal working notes, draft instructions or commercial information that is not approved for customers or partners. Keep the external collection focused on the reviewed versions intended for those readers, and check that each replacement preserves that boundary.
Where enabled, the Outdated notifications scheme sends a list of outdated files to selected users or roles. Configure recipients who can actually review or coordinate the update. The notification text belongs to the Resource Library email translations; it is separate from assuming that every notice appears in the general System Emails category list.
Use reminders to start the review, and expiration when ordinary access must stop at a defined moment. They serve different purposes. Removing access without a replacement can leave a legitimate work task unsupported; leaving an obsolete SOP available can create a different problem. Plan the transition with the content owner.
Review the replacement as well as the file
When replacing a document, verify the folder, filename, organization association and usable content. Configure expiration again because replacement does not retain the previous expiration. Check any personal bookmark or learning-context reference used to reach the document rather than assuming every existing route has been preserved.
Where the AI learning assistant (Saga) is enabled, also ask a representative question against the maintained collection. Eligible documents are retrieved automatically through the permitted relationships, but an answer still depends on usable indexed content. Expired files are excluded from the assistant’s sources. Check that a useful answer identifies the current document rather than relying only on the fact that a file uploaded successfully.
Verify the outcome
| Scenario or check | Expected result or evidence |
|---|---|
| A known document has recorded use | The view or export provides the relevant file-use evidence |
| A report is empty | The collection and recorded activity explain the result before a configuration fault is assumed |
| A review reminder becomes due | The intended responsible person receives actionable information |
| A document expires | Ordinary download access and AI-source availability follow the expiry rule |
| A document is replaced | The current file, access and explicitly reset expiration match the approved publication plan |
Related guidance: Configure and Maintain Resource Library Access and Documents.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Documents usage is unavailable | Check Reporting on document usage and the account’s reporting permission |
| No files appear in the report | Check whether the collection contains files and recorded upload/download use |
| Usage is being treated as a compliance acknowledgement | Use a separate recorded confirmation or assessment workflow |
| Outdated-file notices reach nobody responsible | Review the enabled scheme and its selected users or roles |
| The replacement has an unexpected availability period | Set expiration again and verify the timezone and intended cutoff |
FAQ
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Where is Resource Library usage exported?
Open Documents usage in the Resource Library and use Get report, where reporting is enabled and your account has access.
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Does the report prove that a person understood a manual?
No. Upload and download evidence supports resource-use analysis. A recorded acknowledgement or learning requirement needs its own appropriate workflow.