Technical Architecture

Overview

ContractExpress for SharePoint is a SharePoint 2010 based solution which tightly integrates the ContractExpress DealBuilder document assembly solution into your SharePoint farm. ContractExpress questionnaires are integrated inside SharePoint, so end users can stay within a familiar web application when completing a questionnaire. Documents generated by the ContractExpress DealBuilder document assembly engine are then automatically saved and profiled into a SharePoint document library.

Technology

ContractExpress for SharePoint is an ASP.Net 3.5 web application that is packaged as a SharePoint solution for deployment into your existing SharePoint farm. The solution deploys a number of custom ASP.Net web pages to the _layouts directory in your SharePoint hive, together with custom content types, lists, document libraries and custom UI elements. In addition to the main deployment solution, ContractExpress for SharePoint contains a custom workflow solution for gathering approvals for generated documents.

The ContractExpress for SharePoint solution interoperates with the SharePoint Object Model for performing SharePoint specific tasks such as item creation, document check-in, content type generation and workflow execution. ContractExpress for SharePoint also connects with the Windows Communication Foundation services exposed by ContractExpress DealBuilder to drive the document assembly process from within SharePoint.

Native use of Lists for answer sets

There are a lot of 3rd party solutions claiming SharePoint integration, but many of these are merely web parts which are viewing a custom web application running elsewhere. ContractExpress for SharePoint is different – it is fully integrated into the fabric of SharePoint. The data gathered on a ContractExpress questionnaire, together with the resulting documents that are generated, are natively stored in SharePoint. By storing questionnaire answer sets as list items, users can make use of the SharePoint sort, filter, and search capabilities. Further, by exporting the questionnaire answer sets out to Microsoft Excel, ContractExpress for SharePoint provides first class reporting capabilities.

Document Management and versioning

Making use of native SharePoint document libraries to store generated document sets allows end users to leverage the sophisticated integration capabilities between Microsoft Word and SharePoint. As end users make edits to the data on the questionnaire, ContractExpress for SharePoint will version control the answer sets and documents. Using the SharePoint document version comparison capabilities in Microsoft Word, users can easily see the impact data changes on the questionnaire have in the resulting assembled document.

SharePoint List lookup from a questionnaire

ContractExpress for SharePoint provides first-class support for pulling information from other SharePoint lists into the answer set and generated document. This is achieved by connecting the core ContractExpress document assembly engine with the SharePoint web services. For instance, a field on the questionnaire can be connected to a SharePoint list through a lookup mechanism, such that the user can select an item from the SharePoint list it is connected to.

On-the-fly content type generation and synchronization

One of the key features of ContractExpress for SharePoint is automatic content type generation for the storage of the data associated with generated contracts. When a template is imported into a SharePoint site, ContractExpress for SharePoint connects to the core document assembly web services to retrieve the data model for the template. From this data model, ContractExpress for SharePoint will automatically build and deploy a content type for that template on the fly. Further, if the template data model is to change – for instance, by adding a new field into the template called DateTermination – the content type associated with the template can be automatically updated to add a new column called DateTermination.

Custom Actions

ContractExpress for SharePoint integrates into the list item actions menu to make document assembly specific actions readily available to end users. For instance, custom actions include requesting approval for a newly generated document or editing the data on the questionnaire.

Deployment and Scope

The ContractExpress for SharePoint solution is deployed into the SharePoint solution store at the web application level. This means that all site collections within that web application have access to the features of the solution. Some of the features are site collection features, such as web parts and workflows, and some features are site specific such as content types, lists and document libraries.

Customization

Customers can customize the look and feel of ContractExpress for SharePoint solution using existing SharePoint tools such as SharePoint Designer 2010.

Alternative Formats

In addition to native Office OpenXML file formats, ContractExpress for SharePoint supports the creation of documents in .PDF through the use of the ContractExpress Word Automation web service.

Security

ContractExpress for SharePoint uses the built-in SharePoint security model. A number of custom permission levels are deployed as part of the solution, and these map onto different security groups: Business User, Power User, Contract Admin, and Site Admin. Item level permissions are supported, meaning that individual permissions are applied to list items and documents post generation.

ContractExpress for SharePoint can leverage NTLM based authentication or forms based authentication.

Scalability

As ContractExpress for SharePoint is a native solution for SharePoint, it scales as you scale the number of dedicated web application servers in your farm.